Project Scipio 2: Race for Control
by Tsunamix
Summary: The long awaited sequel to Project Scipio finds our new band of warriors facing of against one of their own as XANA plans to enact his latest plot. Full summary inside. Rated T for the same reasons as the first story.
1. Deception

Three months after the first battle for humanity, XANA returns to enact his next plot. Though weakened by the devastating attack on him, he is nevertheless just as persistent with achieving his goals. Having tricked William Jr. into serving him and carrying out every step of his plan, the Lyoko Warriors now face two major adversaries. Other things to expect are a bugged program, a devastating virus, a changed personality, breakups, betrayal, false accusations, and an unexpected ally.

(A/N: Continued from Chapter 3 of 100 Days)

* * *

_Last Time:_

_"What's going on? Who is...?" Calvin said before he was knocked to the wall and pinned down. He then looked up and saw a punching dagger held to his throat. He then saw the wielder of the dagger and was left in complete shock._

_"Hello, Brother." William Jr. said.

* * *

_

"William Jr.?" Calvin asked surprised.

"Yes. Surprised to see me?" He said still holding the dagger up to Calvin's throat.

"What are you doing?" Calvin said before he felt the dagger plunged through his neck and was immediately devirtualized.

"Sorry, but it's XANA's orders." William Jr. said. Just then Rumiko and Sven-Søren ran up to him, but William Jr. took them out with two swings of his daggers. He then went for Antea and Sam; he hit Antea but Sam just jumped out of the way, shooting laser arrow after laser arrow at him. However, one of the shots was deflected back at Sam and he fell to the ground. William Jr. just plunged his daggers into Sam, devirtualizing him. He then went to Ami.

"Willy, please." She said. "Why are you doing this?"

"XANA was very specific." He said. "Kill the Lyoko Warriors, and he brings my brother back."

"What?" Ami said. "You made a deal with XANA?"

"I had to." He said. "For Russell."

"You're insane." She said. "Besides, how do you plan to kill us yourselves if you're stuck here?"

"I'll find a way." He said stabbing her and devirtualizing her. He just gave a wicked smile and disappeared.

* * *

Back in the scanner room, the doors on one of the scanners opened and Ami just climbed out. She then saw the other and went to them.

"What just happened?" Sam asked.

"I tell you what happened." Ami said. "William Jr. betrayed us."

"Well that figures." Antea said. "First his father's forced to become XANA's slave now William Jr..."

"He wasn't forced." Ami said. "He willingly joined his side."

"Really?" Rumiko asked.

"Yeah, I could see it in his eyes." Calvin said. "Literately as well as metaphorically."

"Yeah, you're so funny, little brother." Rumiko said sarcastically. "This is no time for jokes. Even if we bring him back, he'll still try to destroy us."

"And he won't stop until were dead." Sven-Søren said.

"Wait." Sam said. "If he wanted to kill us, why didn't he just throw us in the Digital Sea?"

"The ANAX Program." Calvin said. "If it saved me in less than a minute after being dead for five minutes, he'll probably save you in that amount of time as well."

"Duly noted." Sam said.

"Sam, do you even know what that means?" Calvin asked.

"Yeeaaa... No." He said. "Now let's go. School starts in a few minutes."

* * *

Within a few minutes, they arrived at Kadic Academy and they went to their respective classes. Sam and Calvin had Mr. Xavier's class again for first period.

"Alright class." He said. "Today you will get another quiz based on what will be taught this year. Calvin, you are exempt from this quiz since you already passed it the first year and I don't want to take any chances."

"Yes sir." Calvin said.

"How was your summer by the way?" He asked

"It's was okay. Some sadness, some gladness." Calvin said. "Pretty eventful to say the least."

"I see." He said. "Did the new guys visit you-know-where yet?"

"Yes." Calvin said. "And Dennis's brother made a deal with you-know-who and won't stop until he finally kills us."

"Oh dear." Mr. Xavier said. "Well, I'd love to help you out, but I already did plenty with you last year and I'll be devoting most of my time towards teaching. So you're on your own, I'm afraid."

"Very well." Calvin said. "Mom and Dad promised they'd help out once in a while anyway."

"Glad to hear that." Mr. Xavier said. "Well, we'll talk more later. I have a class to teach."

* * *

After the next few classes, everyone went to the cafeteria for lunch. They then noticed a familiar face at one of the tables.

"Dennis?" Rumiko asked.

"The one and only." He said.

"What are you doing here?" Calvin asked. "I thought you were in college?"

"I got a part time job here so I can build myself a resume and give me a better chance when applying." He said. "Also, so I participate more on Lyoko missions."

"So what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm the assistant coach for the soccer team." He said. "Once this year's over, I'll start applying for colleges."

"Sounds nice." Calvin said.

"Is something on your mind?" Dennis asked.

"Well..." Calvin said. He and the others than told him about how William Jr. joined XANA because of the deal he made about bringing back Russell.

"So, Willy's trying to kill you all?" Dennis asked. "I guess that's what happens when you get possessed by XANA."

"But that's the thing." Calvin said. "He wasn't possessed, he was deceived by a false deal. Even if he kills us, XANA won't keep his promise."

"That is bad." Dennis said. "So what do we do now?"

"We fight William Jr. and try to convince him that XANA's lying. Once he realizes this, then we bring him back."

"I just hope it's easier done than said." Dennis said.

"Well, were not giving up." Rumiko said. "Besides, XANA himself is weak. What else could go wrong?"

Unknown to them, however, the worst was yet to come.

* * *

Well, you wanted it, you got it. The sequel is now up and running. I'll try to update this as often as I do with 100 Days, but I'm not making any promises. Also, thanks to Commacazy Freak for coming up with the title.

Please Review.


	2. A Fallen Ally

It was a week after William Jr. had left the team and sided with XANA; Calvin and Sam headed down to the cafeteria with their breakfast. They then met up with the rest and sat down.

"Oh, hey guys." Rumiko said.

"Hello." Sven-Søren said. He then turned to Calvin. "Uh... New glasses?"

"Yep." Sam said. "The nurse found out he was near-sighted so they gave him a pair." (A/N: See Chapter 8 of 100 Days).

"Well guys." Dennis said. "I may have found a way to bring back William Jr."

"Care to elaborate?" Calvin asked.

"I recently dug up an old program that Jeremie used to bring back my father back when he was possessed by XANA." Dennis said. "I feel that maybe we could use that same program to bring back William Jr."

"But here's the problem:" Ami said. "He's serving XANA willingly. He'll just go back and try to kill us again. Or even worse, he'll kill us as soon as he's on Earth."

"Which is why we're going to grab him and beat some sense into him until he realizes he was lied to." Sven-Søren said.

"We're not going to beat any sense into him." Dennis said to him. "You are."

"You're kidding me, right? I'm strong but he's quick."

"Well we have to do something." Antea said. "We should at least try."

"Agreed." Dennis said. "We'll start this afternoon, after lunch." Everyone just nodded as they threw out their stuff and headed off to class.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Sector 5, William Jr. was walking towards an immense chamber where XANA was waiting for him.

"You wanted to see me, Master?" He asked.

"Yes." XANA said. "As you are aware, my newest plan to destroy humanity is coming to full circle. Unlike the last one which took a year to complete, this will only require a few months by my most recent calculations. However, you'll be needed for the first step."

XANA then shot out red smoke from his hand which wrapped itself around William Jr.'s dagger and gave it a bright red glow.

"What just happened?" He asked.

"Your weapon has been imbued with a new virus of mine." XANA said. "You must implant it into one of the Lyoko Warriors so that it may be properly materialized onto Earth."

"And what will that do?" William Jr. asked.

"All in due time." XANA said. "In it's current stage, It'll just cause emotional and neurological alterations upon its victim, but more work will be done."

"And after this, you bring back Russell?" William Jr. asked.

"Yes." XANA said. "Just follow through with what I say, my apprentice."

"Yes, Master." William Jr. said as he left.

"Now to draw their attention..." XANA said as he accessed his mainframe and began to activate a tower.

* * *

A few hours later, the team got a text from Dennis to meet him at the factory so that they could begin their next mission.

"Got your message." Calvin said. "Where to?"

"Where were you?" Dennis asked. "I sent that text like an hour ago."

"Sorry." Sam said. "Big math test. The teacher wouldn't even let us use the bathroom."

"Very well." Dennis said. "XANA's activated a tower in the forest sector. I'm sending you, Calvin and Antea first."

"Alright." Calvin said as the three headed down into the scanner room.

"As soon as I send them, I'll send Rumiko, Ami and Sven-Søren." Dennis said. He then set up the virtualization procedure.

"Transfer Calvin. Transfer Antea. Transfer Sam."

"Scanner Calvin. Scanner Antea. Scanner Sam."

"Virtualization."

The three then appeared right in the middle of the forest sector and began to draw their weapons.

"Alright guys, the tower is 20 degrees north by northeast from where you're standing." Dennis said. "And watch out. XANA's not making this easy."

"Roger that." Sam said as the three headed off. As they approached the tower, they came face to face with XANA's monsters: Two Tarantulas, three Krabes, and William Jr.

"Dennis, I just spotted William Jr." Calvin said. "Should I go for him?"

"Not yet, I still have to set up the program." Dennis said. "Until then, go for the monsters."

"Alright." Calvin said as he took his staff and slammed it on the first Tarantula's back, destroying it. He then jumped towards the other, but was shot down by a Krabe. Antea immediately took control of the remaining Tarantula and had it shoot at the Krabes. She was able to take down one Krabe until William Jr. came and knocked her to the ground.

"Okay, now I'm sending in the others." Dennis said as he noticed William Jr. going on the offense. He then set up the virtualization procedure for the other three and sent them to the forest sector.

William Jr. then went up to the fallen Antea and drew the infected dagger. Just as he was about to strike, Calvin ran between the two and blocked the attack.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me." He said.

"Very well." William Jr. said. He then rose the dagger and slashed Calvin right in the chest and he fell to the ground. Just then Rumiko, followed by Ami and Sven-Søren, came up. Sven-Søren held back William Jr. and the monsters while Rumiko helped Calvin up.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"Yeah." Calvin said. "I'm just...Ow." As he got up, he felt a sharp pain go through him.

"Are you sure your alright?" Rumiko asked.

"Yeah, just..." He said but was interrupted by a huge blur that zoomed by him and devirtualized Calvin with an unknown weapon.

"Calvin!" Rumiko shouted as the blur took her out too. It then ran up to the others.

"Guys, look out!" Dennis shouted.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"There's some unknown thing coming towards you; it already devirtualized Calvin and Rumiko."

"Alright." Sam said. "Me and Ami will handle the monster while Sven..." Just then, the blur came up and destroyed every monster it saw with lightning speed.

"Hey, Dennis." Ami said. "Are you sure this thing's dangerous? Because it appears to be helping..." However, the unknown thing jumped down and devirtualized both Ami and Sven-Søren in one attack. It then went up to Sam and pinned him to the ground; Sam looked up and immediately recognized it.

"ANAX?" He said before he himself was devirtualized. Antea realized that she had to get to the tower before ANAX would kill her as well.

"Wait!" Dennis said. "I haven't finished setting up the program yet."

"Well, we can't just wait here and let this thing try to kill us." Antea said. "We'll have to try some other time."

"Very well." Dennis said. Antea then ran towards the tower. William Jr. threw his dagger towards her but she dodged it and ran inside the tower. She then went up and entered CODE: LYOKO and before she knew it, she was back on Earth.

* * *

Back at the lab, everyone began telling Dennis about what happened.

"Alright, we weren't able to bring back William Jr. this time, but we will keep trying." Dennis said. "What we still don't know is what that mysterious creature was."

"I know who it was." Sam said. "It was ANAX." Nobody said anything.

"Really?" Dennis asked.

"But how?" Calvin asked.

"I don't know, but just before he devirtualized me, I could see that it was indeed ANAX." Sam said.

"If it was ANAX, why was he attacking us?" Antea asked.

"Not to mention he also attacked XANA's monsters." Ami said.

"I'm guessing something went wrong and he got bugged up." Dennis said. "We'll have to focus our priorities on that from now on. Once we fix ANAX, then we can try to save William Jr."

"What will we tell Mom though?" Ami asked. "About William Jr.?"

"We tell her the truth. She already knew about Lyoko, so there's no point in keeping it a secret." Rumiko said. "Also, are you still okay Calvin? You looked a little out of it when William Jr. hit you."

"He probably just hit me too hard." Calvin said.

"I'm checking for any marks just in case." Dennis said.

"Very well." Calvin said as he began to take off his shirt. "Antea, don't look."

Antea then turned around as Dennis looked at his body.

"No scratch marks." Dennis said. "So it wasn't anything like XANA's sword."

"Alright." Calvin said putting his shirt back on. "Come on. Dinner's almost ready."

They then left the lab and headed back to the school.

* * *

Back in Carthage, William Jr. came up to XANA.

"Has the virus been implanted?" XANA asked.

"Yes." William Jr. said. "I was intending to hit Antea, but Calvin tempted me so I hit him instead."

"Very well." XANA said. "Just as long as it has a human body to fully mature in."

"How long until that happens?"

"By my calculations, around a month." XANA said.

"I can wait that long. Even for Russell." William Jr. said as he walked out. He then turned back around. "Oh, I forgot to add."

"What's is it?" XANA asked.

"Lyoko's only permanent defense, The ANAX Program, has apparently been bugged up and will try to attack the Lyoko Warriors." William Jr. said. "The only downside is that he's unaligned; he'll still try to attack you and your monsters."

"Nevertheless." XANA said. "We'll just increase our defenses each time the Lyoko Warriors try to intervene. You may leave now, my apprentice."

"Yes, Master." William Jr. said walking out.

* * *

Okay, I'm beginning to see the difficulties of focusing on two stories at once. Because of this, I may put Race for Control on hold until I get far enough on 100 Days or until I get enough time to work on it some more. However, I might put 100 Days on hold and focus my effort on this story instead, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. Please place in your review whether you want this story updated and have 100 Days put on hold, or have me focus on 100 Days and put this story on hold. I equally enjoy writing both stories, so don't worry about wanting me to work on a story I enjoy less.

Please Review.


	3. The Plan in Motion

After the gang went back to the school, they resumed their classes. They had fought a long and hard battle against not only William Jr., but ANAX as well. Unknown to Calvin and the rest, XANA's next plan was already in motion. Calvin and Sam were in Ms. Meyer's class when Sam came towards Calvin.

"Hey, Cal." He said. "What's the answer to question five?"

"Sam!" Ms. Meyer said. "Stop bothering your classmates and get back to your seat."

"Yes Ma'am." Sam said as he headed back.

* * *

When class was over, Calvin went to find Mr. Xavier in his room.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes. It's about ANAX." Calvin said. He then told him about how ANAX was bugged and will try to kill anything in his path.

"Oh my." Mr. Xavier said. "Well, I don't see how the program could've been bugged; I doubt it would be XANA, since ANAX is still trying to destroy him as well."

"I kind of figured as much." Calvin said.

"Anyways, try not to worry about it too much. I'll help find an anti-virus for it and then he'll be fixed; I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll do my best. After all, he is my creation. You just head back to your room and get some rest."

"Yes Sir." Calvin said as he walked out of the class and to the dorms; he did his nighttime stuff and then headed off to bed.

* * *

A month flew by since XANA's plan had begun; Calvin, unexpectedly, woke up not feeling like his normal self. After getting prepared, he met up with Sam and headed off to his first class with Mr. Xavier.

"Hey Cal." Sam asked. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah." Calvin said. "I'm just a bit tired."

Class then began. As Mr. Xavier was going over the lesson plan, Calvin found it harder and harder to concentrate with each passing minute. He felt himself losing consciousness as all noise drifted away. He then fainted and fell to the ground. Everyone then turned around as they heard him hit the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" Sam said as he ran up to his friend.

"What is it now?" Mr. Xavier asked.

"Calvin just fainted." Another student said.

"What?" Mr. Xavier said. "Let me see." He ran over to Calvin and tried to find any signs of life.

"He's still alive." He said. "I'll call an ambulance."

* * *

A short time later, an ambulance came and took Calvin to the hospital. Jim called his parents and told the what happened. They immediately drove to the hospital and met up with Ami and Rumiko, who had also heard about what happened, and went to Calvin's room at the hospital.

Soon, Calvin woke up and looked around; he then saw his parents.

"Oh, thank heavens you're alright." Yumi said hugging him. "We were so worried about you."

"What just happened?" Calvin asked.

"You passed out in the middle of your class." The doctor said.

"Yeah." Rumiko said. "The doctors don't know what had caused it."

"Well, we have a few ideas." The doctor said.

"So what do you think might have happened?" Ulrich asked.

"The fact that it happened in his classroom could mean that stress is a possible indicator."

"Calvin stressed?" Ami asked. "I don't think so."

"He may have just had a seizure, which his likely given his previous medical records." The doctor said. "We'll keep him here for today so we can know for sure. If we can't find anything wrong, we'll just send him home."

"Thanks, doctor." Ulrich said as he and the rest of the family left.

* * *

Back at the school, classes had just ended. Everyone was now heading back to their rooms to get started on their homework. Ami and Rumiko then went up to the others and told them what happened.

"So he just fainted?" Dennis asked. "And they don't know what caused it?"

"They have a few ideas, but they're not all that rational." Ami said.

"You don't think XANA might be behind this?" Sven-Søren asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't alerted of any activated towers." Dennis said. "But we should still assume that he could have caused it."

"Right." Rumiko said. "Anyways, they're releasing him tomorrow. After then, we'll keep an eye on him."

"Very well." Dennis said. "We best be heading off to bed now. We'll talk more tomorrow morning."

"Okay then." Ami said as the four went into their respective rooms. All of them were oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead.

* * *

I know this chapter was fairly short, but I was running out of ideas to put in this one. Hopefully my next chapters will be longer.

Please Review.


	4. Release

It was the next day. The Lyoko Warriors, minus Calvin who was still in the hospital, woke up and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast. They got their stuff and sat down at the table. They immediately began talking.

"So anything new?" Rumiko asked Dennis.

"About what's up with Calvin? Not yet." He said. "It makes no sense. I couldn't find any activated towers when he fainted, nor could I detect any trace of XANA at the school."

"Maybe XANA had nothing to do with it." Sven-Søren said. "Maybe he just fainted on his own."

"So you think it's just a coincidence that he fainted and the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him?" Ami asked. "Either way, it doesn't matter now. He gets released today."

"Alright." Sam said. "We'll just keep an eye on him in case anything else weird happens."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Antea said. "After all, you're his roommate."

* * *

Back at the hospital, Calvin was sitting up in his bed eating the breakfast he was given when one of the doctors came in.

"Mr. Stern?" He asked. "Dr. Burel. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a lot." Calvin said.

"In that case, you better get dressed." The doctor said. "Your parents are coming to pick you up and take you back to the school."

"Oh really?" Calvin asked.

"Yep, we couldn't find anything too serious or any other reason to keep you here any longer so you'll be released."

"Well, that's great." Calvin said happily. "I'll get myself ready."

"Just one more thing, though." The doctor said.

"Come again?"

"We need to take a blood sample for future reference." He said. "We want to take a look to see if it wasn't a neurological problem."

"Why couldn't you have done that while I was still in the hospital?" Calvin asked.

"Because these tests take time and we don't want to keep you waiting any longer if your already feeling better." The doctor said. "If you don't hear from us within a week, than it'll let you know that nothing is wrong. If you have any other questions, just let me know."

"Thanks, doctor." Calvin said. The doctor than took a small syringe and began drawing enough to fill it. He then went into the backroom.

* * *

Unknown to Calvin, however, as soon as the doctor went in, his eyes flickered from their original look to the Eye of XANA. In the backroom, William Jr. was waiting for him; the XANA-fied doctor gave him the sample.

"Thank you, doctor." William Jr. said. "Now we can begin our work, Master." A spectre than flew out from one of the lights and took the form of Mr. Xavier.

"Excellent." XANA said taking the syringe from him. "Unfortunately, this second-rate laboratory lacks the resources we need to carry out our plan."

"So what do you suppose we do?" William Jr. asked.

"I sent you a file on the Carthage Mainframe; it'll tell you what you need." XANA said. "Even for me, it won't be easy. We'll have to across the entire country just to find everything."

"And suppose our adversaries find out about your plan before it can be enacted." William Jr. said.

"That's where you come in." XANA said. "While I regain my strength, I can teach you how to create spectres such as mine so that you can fight on Lyoko, find what you need, and create a few diversions for the Lyoko Warriors."

"You can do that?" William Jr. asked.

"Of course." XANA said. "My spectres are only manifestations of my thoughts, not physical incarnations of my self-being. Therefore, I can create as many as my processing power can allow."

"Makes sense." William Jr said. "What kind of diversions do you have planned anyway?"

"All will be revealed. Right now, just focus on the task at hand." XANA said. He then gave him back the syringe. "Take this. Keep it somewhere safe and make sure it doesn't fall in the wrong hands."

"Don't worry, I know a few places." William Jr. said. "Also, what this syringe contains. Is this all the virus?"

"Of course not." XANA said. "You really think the entire virus strain after maturing for a month could be condensed in this?"

"So most of it is still in Calvin?" He asked.

"That's not a problem, right?" XANA asked.

"No, Master." William Jr. said.

"Good." XANA said. "Now hide the sample and meet me back on Lyoko. There your training begins." He then disappeared.

"Yes, Master." William Jr. said leaving the room undetected.

* * *

That afternoon, Ulrich and Yumi came back to pick up Calvin and they took him back to the school. Just before leaving, Yumi came up to him.

"Hey, Calvin." She said. "If your feeling like this again, make sure you talk to your teacher or someone so that we can take you ourselves. You had us really worried there."

"Okay Mom." Calvin said.

"Love you, Sweetie." She said.

"Love you, too." Calvin said as the car pulled away and Calvin went into the school. He looked at his watch and saw that there was about ten minutes left of lunch. He decided to take advantage of the time and catch up with his friends. He then entered the lunch room and saw everyone else sitting at the usual table. Calvin then went up to the table and sat down.

"Hey guys." Calvin said sitting down.

"Well, look who's here." Sam said.

"Onii-San." Ami said getting out of her seat, hugging him.

"You're going to have to quit doing that, you know." Calvin said.

"Hey, she can't help it." Rumiko said. "She really missed you; she's not comfortable without her brother around."

"She has you." Calvin said.

"But she likes you better." Rumiko said.

"Anyways...!" Dennis said breaking the conversation. "How are you feeling, Cal?"

"Just fine, thank you." Calvin said.

"So they couldn't find anything wrong?" Sam asked.

"No." Calvin said. "Well, the doctor did ask for a blood sample and said that he would let me know if something's wrong at a later date."

"Why would he do that?" Sam asked.

"So that he can find out more, I guess." Calvin said.

"I think he means why he would choose to let you know at a later date." Sven-Søren said. "Especially since that not even an approximation was given."

"Sven's right." Antea said. "With today's technology, it should only take seconds to find even the most hidden of abnormalities."

"Alright, let's just say we have something to be suspicious about and leave it at that." Calvin said. "Now let's go. Our next classes start soon." They then threw out their stuff and headed to their next class.

* * *

That night, Calvin had finished showering and brushing his teeth. He then went to his dorm room to find Sam on his bed playing one of his video games.

"You shouldn't do that right before bed." Calvin said. "It's not good for you."

"Fine, Mother." Sam said as he turned of the game console and got in bed.

"You know we have that chapter test tomorrow, and I haven't seen you study for it at all." Calvin said. "And no, you're not copying off of me."

"I don't need to study." Sam said. "I'll just cram before the test begins."

"The test is in World History." Calvin said. "You know, first period."

"So I'll cram during breakfast, big deal." Sam said. "By the way, you don't think XANA was responsible for your fainting, do you?"

"I doubt it." Calvin said. "Dennis did say that no towers were active during the time."

"Maybe he placed another virus inside of you prior to that day."

"I don't think so." Calvin said. "If that were the case, I'd be hearing voices like last time. Besides, I've been having seizures since I was 10, about once every other year. So it still leaves room for coincidence." (A/N: Based off author's actual experiences).

"If you say so." Sam said turning around and falling asleep. Calvin then got under his blankets and fell asleep as well, unaware of the impending dangers that were to come.

* * *

Well, this certainly turned out a lot better than last time. Almost twice as long as the last one.

Please Review (Honestly, I'd like to get at least another consistent reviewer for this. I mean, effin's story has less chapters, just as many readers, but has 100+ more reviews than the first Project Scipio, and I know she's recommended my story to her viewers at least once so I should be getting more).


	5. Soccer Tryouts and Surprises

Calvin and Sam woke up the next morning and got ready for the next day. After the two took their showers and got everything else ready, they went back into their room as the two got dressed. Calvin then grabbed his glasses and his textbooks. As he picked them up, he noticed something odd.

"Huh, that's weird." Calvin said to himself.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"For some reason my books feel lighter than yesterday." Calvin said. "You didn't hollow out the pages again, did you?"

"Of course not." Sam said. "Look, you were released from a hospital yesterday, I'm sure what they did during that time left you a bit lethargic. Maybe that's why your books felt heavier."

"Maybe." Calvin said as he headed out the door. "Another thing that's weird."

"What's that?"

"How do you know what 'lethargic' means?"

* * *

The two then got their breakfast and headed towards their usual table. There they found their friends waiting for them.

"Morning, guys." Ami said.

"Hey." Sam said.

"Hey, Cal." Dennis said.

"Hey." Calvin said.

"So, how're you feeling?" Antea asked.

"Just fine thank you." Calvin said. "In fact, a lot better than before."

"That's good to know." Dennis said. "I guess this means you'll be ready for tryouts."

"Say what?" Sam asked.

"The soccer tryouts for this season? They're today." Dennis said.

"But we were already on the team last year." Sam said.

"Doesn't matter." Calvin said. "You still have to do it."

"Well, that sucks."

"Why worry? You're a good enough player." Calvin said.

"Well, thanks." Sam said.

"Before Sven came along." Dennis said pointing to Sven-Søren.

"Oh yeah." Sam said. "Looks like you've still got some competition, Calvin."

"It's not a contest." Calvin said. "In the end, we're on the same team."

"Just remember, no matter what happens, we still love one another. Right?" Sven-Søren asked Sam.

"Of course." Sam said. "Just not out in public."

"Why do you insist on being so quiet about it?"

"I just don't want what happened to you those years ago to happen to me."

"Wait. What happened to Sven?" Calvin asked.

"We'd rather not talk about it!" The two shouted. Just then the bell rang and everyone headed out.

"Oh, and also, Sven." Calvin said. "Are you up for another chess game after school?"

"Again?" He asked. "Don't you ever get tired of me beating you?"

"Not really." Calvin said.

* * *

Halfway through first period, Mr. Xavier passed back the tests that everyone had taken.

"Congratulations, Calvin. You got the highest score: A-." Mr. Xavier said. "The minus is just a reminder that there's always room to improve."

"Sam!" He then shouted as he chucked Sam's test at him. "_Your_ test on the other hand was an absolute disgrace! Our first president was _not _'Some Random Dude.' D-!" The class then snickered at him.

"But that's just a reminder that there's always room to improve, right?" Sam asked.

"No. It's a reminder that cramming, playing video games before bed, and being a complete slack-off never works." The class, minus Calvin, then laughed out loud as Sam hid his face. After a while, class ended and everyone headed back. Calvin then went up to Mr. Xavier.

"You know, you didn't have to be so hard on Sam." He said.

"Calvin. You knew when you two started this class that I don't tolerate lackadaisical attitudes." Mr. Xavier said. "Now run along to your next class before you're late. Oh, and good luck on tryouts."

"Thanks." Calvin said.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Calvin was at the courtyard with Sven-Søren wrapping up their game of chess.

"Checkmate." Sven-Søren said as he moved one of his pieces towards Calvin's king.

"Well, good game." Calvin said. He then looked down at his watch. "Oh my. We have to get to the soccer field now."

"I'm right behind you." Sven-Søren said following him. They went to their rooms and grabbed their soccer gear, got changed, and headed out. In a short time, they arrived at the soccer field.

"Well, it's about time you two showed up." Jim said to them. "As punishment for your tardiness, both of you will bring in the equipment from my office."

"Yes sir." The two said. They then headed to Jim's office and saw the two large bags that contained the soccer balls. Sven-Søren proceeded to pick up one of them but Calvin just ran over and pick up both of them with one in each hand.

"I got this. Now let's go." Calvin said. Sven-Søren just stared at him. "What?"

"Last I checked, you could barely lift the equivalent of one bag with both hands. How did you...?"

"I guess they aren't as heavy as you say." Calvin interrupted. "Now come on."

"Yes they are..." Sven-Søren said to himself. The two then ran back to the field and set the supplies down.

"Well, that was rather quick." Jim said. "No matter." He then set up five of the balls adjacent to one of the goals as part of their first exercise.

"Alright." Jim said. "Your first job is to score as many goals as you can with the balls in front of you. When I blow my whistle, you take a shot. Just remember, you will not be graded by how many shots you make, but how well you can make a shot. Della Robbia, you're first."

Sam then ran up to the field and proceeded to take his shots. Jim then blew his whistle and Sam began making shots; he had made 3 of the five goals when he was done."

"Good." Jim said. "Hagensen, your turn." Sven-Søren then went up and began making his shots; he made all five of the goals.

"Excellent. We may have another star player." Jim said. "Speaking of which, Stern, you're up."

"Yes sir." Calvin said as he headed out to the field.

"Try and top me, Calvin." Sven-Søren shouted to him. Calvin then got an idea.

"Hey, Mr. Morales." Calvin said. "How about bringing in another five balls out here."

"Um, okay." Jim said as he took out five other balls and set them alongside the previous five. Calvin then ran down a line parallel to the ten balls and shot each one into the net, all of them making it.

"All right, Cal!" Sam shouted. Sven-Søren wasn't fazed however. When the balls were reset, he just ran down the field doing the exact same thing Calvin did.

"I told you I didn't want this to be a contest." Calvin said. "But if you insist..." He then closed his eyes, spun around and kicked five balls into the net, one was kicked so hard that it tore right through the net, bounced off the fence towards the field and knocked Sven-Søren to the ground as Calvin, eyes still closed, had dodged it. Everyone was just stunned and at a loss for words.

"Oh my." Sam said as he helped his boyfriend up. Calvin just walked away and headed back to the school.

* * *

"Stern!" Jim shouted as he walked towards him. "Because I like your style and because Dennis had already convinced me, I'm making you captain of the soccer team."

"Thanks, Jim. I..."

"But if I ever see you pull any of that showboating stuff again, I'll have you kicked off faster than you can say 'offsides kick'." Jim scolded. "Got it?" Calvin just nodded.

"I wasn't thinking clearly." Calvin said. "It won't happen again."

"See to it that it won't." Jim said. "Now get to your room."

"Yessir." Calvin said as he headed back to the school while the rest of the team. Just then, he heard his cellphone go off. He then pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?" Calvin said.

"Calvin, it's Dennis." Dennis said. "Get Sam and Sven. XANA's on the attack."

* * *

Sorry for the late update. I got re-interested with Diablo II and it's been kinda distracting me from my stories. Hopefully this should hold you back for the rest of the week. I should be finished with the game before Spring Break, unless it ends up being to hard. In that case, it'll be earlier.

Please Review.


	6. Newfound Strength

After receiving Dennis's message, Calvin then ran back to the soccer field and went to his friends.

"Hey, guys." Calvin said pulling them away. "Wrap it up. We have to leave."

"Why? What's going on?" Sam asked.

"XANA's on the attack." Calvin said. "Dennis is already waiting for us."

"Alright." Sven-Søren said. He then went over to Jim. "Excuse me. I need to escort Calvin and Sam to the infirmary; they're not feeling well."

"Very well." Jim said. "But be quick about it."

"Yes, Coach." Sven-Søren said as the trio left the soccer field.

* * *

As they headed towards the factory, Sam and Sven-Søren were having a hard time catching up with Calvin who was running surprisingly fast and didn't seem to be getting tired. When Calvin reached the factory, he turned around and noticed that his two friend were nowhere to be seen. A few minutes later, they had caught up to him, both out of breath.

"Where were you guys?" Calvin asked. "Don't you know that we're in a hurry?"

"Yeah." Sam said. "But would it kill you to slow down a bit?"

"What do you mean? This is as fast as I normally run." Calvin said. "Maybe you're just exhausted from tryouts."

"And you weren't?" Sven-Søren asked. But Calvin wasn't listening; he had already went to the factory floor.

The other two then followed him and went into the elevator. They then took it down to the lab to find Dennis at the computer.

"Glad you made it." Dennis said. He then noticed Sam and Sven-Søren still trying to catch their breath. "Um... What's with you two?"

"They couldn't catch up." Calvin said.

"He wouldn't let us." Sam said.

"Anyway." Dennis said. "XANA's activated a tower in the Ice sector. We don't know what the attack is. But one thing is sure, we have to hurry."

"Right." Calvin said.

"Rumiko's already waiting for you in the scanner room." Dennis said. "You and Sven will go with her first. When Antea arrives, I'll send Sam with her."

"Sure thing." Sven-Søren said. "But what happens if ANAX sees us?"

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Dennis said. He then turned to Calvin. "That means..."

"I know what it means, Dennis!" Calvin exclaimed. The two then headed down to the scanner room and found Rumiko waiting for them.

"Hey, guys." She said. "Took you long enough."

"Enough talk. Let's go." Calvin said as the three went to their respective scanners. Dennis then started up the virtualization procedure.

"Transfer Calvin. Transfer Sven. Transfer Rumiko."

"Scanner Calvin. Scanner Sven. Scanner Rumiko."

"Virtualization."

* * *

The three then appeared in the middle of the Ice sector.

"Alright, guys." Dennis said. "The tower is straight ahead, but it's still far from here. And be careful, XANA bound to have a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Roger that." Rumiko said as the three drew their weapons and headed out.

"Alright, XANA." Dennis said to himself. "Just what are you planning?"

As the three Lyoko Warriors continued running along the sector, they noticed the familiar red glow that is the activated tower.

"Alright, Dennis, we see the tower." Rumiko said.

"Good. I'll call Antea and tell her to come." Dennis said.

"Very well." Calvin said. "You know, it's weird."

"What?" Rumiko asked.

"Normally, ANAX would be here by now trying to kill us." Calvin said.

"Um... guys?" Sven-Søren said as he noticed a bright light coming toward them.

"Speak of the Devil." Calvin said as the three jumped out of the way just as the light was about to hit them.

Calvin got up to find himself staring face to face with ANAX; ANAX then went up to Rumiko. He was about to lay his sword on her when Calvin jumped in front of her and blocked the attack.

"You two, go, now." Calvin said to them. "I'll hold off ANAX."

"But..." Rumiko said.

"Go!" Calvin said.

"Come on." Sven-Søren said dragging Rumiko with him.

"Dennis, is Antea here yet?" Calvin asked.

"She's on her way." Dennis said. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Don't send her with me." Calvin said. "I'm trying to hold off ANAX while the others get to the tower. When Antea comes, send her with _them._"

"Gotcha." Dennis said. He then noticed something on the monitor. "Calvin, you'd better make it quick. XANA's on the offensive."

As the other two headed towards the tower, they came across three Tarantulas. However, the Tarantula in the middle was different in the sense that it was black with a white Eye of XANA, and riding it was a familiar figure.

"It's William Jr." Rumiko said.

"Good." Sven-Søren said. "Now to give this traitor a piece of my mind."

"Sven, no!" Rumiko shouted. But he didn't hear him as he had already drew his axe and ran up to William Jr.

"Do we really have to resort to this idiocy?" William Jr. said as he jumped down and slashed him down the middle with his punching dagger. Sven-Søren just fell to the ground as he was instantly devirtualized. Back on Earth, Sven-Søren stepped out of his scanner and headed to the lab.

"Come on, Calvin. Where are you?" Rumiko said as William Jr. approached her and attacked. Rumiko just blocked the attack.

* * *

Meanwhile, Calvin was still holding off ANAX when ANAX got the upper hand. Calvin found himself pinned to the ground with ANAX's sword at his neck. But Calvin just slipped out and grappled ANAX from the back.

"What is he doing?" Dennis asked to himself. Just then, Antea came down and went to Dennis.

"Sorry I'm late." She said. "What's happening?"

"Calvin's fighting ANAX, Rumiko's fighting William Jr., and Sven just got devirtualized." Dennis said. "I'm sending you with Rumiko since she's already at the tower."

"Okay." Antea said as she headed towards the elevator. As the door opened, Sven-Søren climbed out.

"All yours, Antea." He said.

"Thank you." Antea said as she took the elevator down to the scanner room and went to one of the scanners.

"Transfer Antea."

"Scanner Antea."

"Virtualization."

* * *

Back on Lyoko, Calvin still had his hands wrapped up (literately) in ANAX. When he felt that ANAX was at his weakest, Calvin threw himself to the ground, with his hands still around ANAX, and thrusted his staff into ANAX (A/N: That did not sound right, I apologize). ANAX then got up and headed back into the Digital Sea.

"Dennis, ANAX is taken care of." Calvin said. "I'm off to help Rumiko."

"Alright." Dennis said. "Antea should be there too."

Meanwhile, Rumiko was still fending off William Jr. as the Tarantulas were firing at her, making her lose her focus.

"You can't beat me." Rumiko said. "I'm more skilled in martial arts than you ever were."

"You were trained to fight hand-to-hand." William Jr. said. "While you were still an infant, I was learning how to fight with swords. Ergo, my fighting style exceeds yours."

Just as William Jr. was about to lay the 'killing blow', Antea came and took out two of the three Tarantulas, missing only the middle one. Calvin also came and knocked William Jr. to the ground.

"Hello, Brother." Calvin said. William Jr. then got up and jumped on his Tarantula. He then marched forward as Calvin drew his weapon.

"Antea, get to the tower. I'll take care of him." Calvin said as Antea headed off to the tower. As she got close to the tower, she was ambushed by a trio of IceDogs.

"You really think you can beat me with that toy stick of yours?" William Jr. taunted.

"I just took down XANA's polar opposite with my bare hands." Calvin said throwing his staff to the ground. "I don't need this crap to beat you."

"Calvin, what are you doing?" Rumiko asked. Calvin just ignored her as he jumped on the Tarantula and on William Jr., throwing him to the ground.

"Tell me what XANA's planning." Calvin said with him still on William Jr.

"Even if I told you it would make little difference." William Jr said throwing Calvin off of him. "Even as we speak, my master's plan is reaching its first stages."

* * *

Unknown to the Lyoko Warriors, the activated tower was indeed being used for part of XANA's plot. In a German medical lab, William Jr. had broken in and stolen various lab equipment.

"Auf Wiedersehen." He said to the scientists he had tied up as he took the lab equipment to a van where a pair of German thugs, whom he had struck a deal with, were waiting for him. He loaded the equipment in the van and got in as it took off.

"So what are we doing with this?" One of the thugs asked.

"Here's the address you need to go." William Jr. said handing him a piece of paper. "Just take the stuff here and everything will be yours."

"Can do, Boss." The second thug said as the van continued to drive off.

* * *

Back on Lyoko, Calvin was still trying to fight off William Jr. Calvin then used his newly-gotten strength to attack back at his adversary. He laid blow after blow on his face and pinned him to the ground.

"Alright Calvin, you got him!" Dennis said anxiously. "Just get to Antea, she needs backup."

Meanwhile, Antea was still fending off the IceDogs. She had taken control of one, but was still trying to take out the other two. Just then, Calvin came and shattered the two opposing IceDogs while Antea released her grip on the last one and destroyed it.

"Alright." Dennis said. "Now, Antea, get to the tower and I'll launch a Return to the Past."

"Need I remind you with XANA rebound to the supercomputer, it'll make him stronger?" Calvin asked.

"But we don't know what XANA's current attack is." Dennis said. "And I'm not taking any chances."

Antea then headed to the tower and entered Code: Lyoko. On Earth, the William Jr. in the van had disappeared; it was merely a spectre created by William Jr. as part of his plan.

"Return to the Past now." Dennis said as he launched said program.

"Fools." XANA said to himself as he activated another program.

On Earth, the van carrying the lab equipment was immediately surrounded by an invisible shield as the white light of the Return to the Past enveloped it, leaving it immune to the time reversion. As soon as it past, the van continued on its current course.

* * *

Back at the factory, the Lyoko Warriors were still discussing what had just happened.

"So we still don't know what XANA's doing?" Calvin asked.

"It's so weird." Dennis said. "I looked all over and found no trace of XANA or his clones anywhere on Earth."

"You can do that?" Rumiko asked.

"Of course." Dennis said. "I dug up a program that allows me to."

"Maybe he just wanted to get our attention?" Antea asked.

"To gain what?" Calvin asked. "It's not like the Scyphozoa was waiting for us to possess Antea or XANA had another tower active elsewhere and he wanted to divert our attention."

"Calvin's right." Sam said. "Hey, wait a minute."

"What?" Calvin asked.

"I though Dennis said he would send me along with Antea?" (A/N: Seriously, I totally forgot about that. God, I'm tired.)

"I lied." Dennis said. "Anyways, it's getting late. Why not sleep on it?"

"Agreed." The other said as they headed back to the school.

* * *

Well, I knew this moment would come: I'm really running out of ideas for this story. I know the basic ideas I want, I just can't make them long enough. I only have enough for like 20-30 chapters and I really want to write more than that (Project Scipio had about 60 chapters not counting the past chapters and epilogues). So, I'm afraid until I get a boost of new ideas, I'm probably gonna put this story on a long hiatus, which may or may not lead to abandoning this story altogether (or at least deleting it and starting over). If you wish to help me with this, please let me know.

Please Review.


	7. The Museum Trip

The morning after the previous Lyoko mission (A/N: I am really running out of ways to start my story), Calvin and the rest headed down to have their daily breakfast and chat before school.

"Morning, guys." Calvin said as he met with the others.

"Hey, Cal. How are...?" Rumiko said but stopped when she looked up at Calvin. "Um... Where are your glasses?"

"Didn't need them." Calvin, who was indeed not wearing his glasses, said.

"You didn't need them." Dennis said trying to understand what his friend was saying.

"I don't know how, but for some reason I can see just fine." Calvin said.

"Alright." Sam said holding up three fingers. "How many fing..."

"Three." Calvin said dully.

"Okay." Sam then said and straightening out his shirt and stepping back. "What does my shirt say?"

"'Daft Punk, Chromeo and Justice cannot exist at the same venue otherwise the world would explode out of pure awesomeness. -Sam Della Robbia. Copyright © 2000-2011, Zazzle Inc. All rights reserved.'" Calvin said.

"Wow." Ami said. "If he can read the copyright text, he definitely can see just fine."

"Fine then." Sam said sitting down.

"By the way, you two, don't you have that field trip for World History today?" Antea asked.

"That's right, we do."

"You mean I studied for today's test for nothing?" Sam asked.

"Sam, this is why it's so important to pay attention in class." Calvin said. Just then, Sven-Søren came running down with a newspaper in his hand.

"Guys!" He shouted slamming the newspaper down. "Have you read today's news? Front page."

The others then looked at the front page which contained the following headline:

GERMAN LAB BREAK-IN!

DISAPPEARANCE OF EXPENSIVE LAB EQUIPMENT LEAVES SCIENTISTS BAFFLED.

"You don't think that was XANA, do you?" Sven-Søren asked.

"Impossible." Dennis said. "He would've had to have done it while we were asleep, and I wasn't indicated of any activated towers during that time."

"What if he did it during the last mission?" Ami asked.

"Also impossible." Calvin said. "The Return to the Past should have prevented that."

"And even if it didn't, I didn't detect any XANA activity on Earth." Dennis said. "I'll worry about this, you just get to class."

"Field trip, here we come!" Sam shouted as the rest headed out.

* * *

Mr Xavier's class, however, was out on the front lot of the school. The bus was waiting for them to take them to their destination. However, Mr. Xavier was already in a conversation with Ami.

"But you have to take me." She said. "The Kadic News needs an interesting story and I have a press pass."

"I don't care." Mr. Xavier said. "This trip is for ninth graders, other students of mine and their chaperones only. Since you are neither, that would be inappropriate as well as unfair to your peers."

"Okay." Ami said as she headed back inside.

"Okay, class." Mr. Xavier said. "Today we're going to the Museum of French History in Paris to learn about France's involvement in WWII."

The class then cheered.

"Settle down." He said. "Now when we arrive, everyone will be separated into two groups. Each group will get a chance to see everything but will start at different parts. Does everyone understand so far?"

The class nodded.

"When the tour is over, we'll be heading off to a nearby cafe for lunch." Mr. Xavier said. "When that's done, _if _we have any free-time left, I'll let you guys run around and, as you say, 'shop 'till you drop'.

The class then cheered again.

"_But_..."Mr. Xavier added. "You must use your own money and you must be accompanied by at least one adult if choosing to go downtown. Understood?"

The class nodded.

"Works for me." Calvin said. "I have a debit card."

"Lucky." Sam said.

"Now before we leave, who here can tell me one interesting thing about France in WWII?" Mr. Xavier asked. Calvin raised his hand.

"Anyone besides Calvin for a change?"

"You mean other than the fact they surrendered?" Sam asked.

"Sam, if you bothered to pay attention, you would realized that that's not even half of it." Mr. Xavier said. "Alright, Calvin?"

"Although the French did surrender to the Axis forces on June 25, Charles de Gaulle's June 18th Appeal spoke out to the French in Great Britain to form a resistance which led to the retaking of France and contributed to the eventual collapse of the Third Reich."

"Very good, Calvin." Mr. Xavier said. "Alright, everyone get in a single-file line and get on one at a time."

The class did just that as Mr. Xavier took the attendance of everyone who came. Everyone then took their seat and the bus took off. Needless to say for Calvin, someone not too fond of crowds, the bus ride was the most agonizing part of the trip. It didn't help that Sam was seated right next to him.

"Slug-bug, black, no slug back!" Sam said punching Calvin on the shoulder. Calvin said nothing.

"Slug-bug, green, no slug back!" Sam said again. Again, Calvin said nothing.

"Slug-bug, silv-"

"Touch me again and I'll rip your arm off!" Calvin shouted grabbing his friend's arm.

"Della Robbia!" Mr. Xavier shouted. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

"Yessir." Sam said. Neither one said anything as the bus continued on its path.

* * *

A half-hour passed and the class then got off the bus and headed to the front of the museum. A short time later, one of the museum guides came out and introduced himself.

"Good day, students." He said. "My name is Gilbert and I'll be your guide for today. If you'll follow me, I'll tell you everything you need to know about WWI in France."

"You mean other than the fact they surrendered?" Sam asked again.

"Sam, shut up." Calvin said.

"Please hold all questions until the end of the tour." Gilbert said as he led the class inside the museum. They walked for a minute until they reached a large room.

"To start, the Battle of France began in May 10th of 1940, soon after the Nazis had captured Norway and Denmark." Gilbert said. "The German victory led to not only the capture of France, but the rest of the Low Countries as well. Now, who can tell me the other three countries?"

Calvin raised his hand.

"Yes, you in the back."

"The Low Countries consist of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands." Calvin said.

"Excellent, young man." Gilbert said.

"Teacher's pet." Sam said to himself. Gilbert then led them all around the rest of the museum as they continued their tour.

* * *

Well, it's good to be back.

Please Review.


	8. The Next Attack

Meanwhile, at the factory, Dennis and Antea were down in the supercomputer room where Dennis was trying to find the problems with the supercomputer.

"Anything yet?" Antea asked.

"Not a thing." Dennis answered. "This is so weird. XANA managed to launch an attack without me knowing and the supercomputer is pretty much unscathed."

"Have you stopped to think that maybe that for once XANA didn't do this?" Antea asked. "Maybe it was just a coincidence. You know, like Calvin's seizure."

"It can't be a coincidence, it's too unlikely." Dennis said. "It was a high-security medical lab that was unable to detect any break-in; medical equipment doesn't just get up and walk out the door."

"True." Antea said. "But can it also not be a coincidence that you didn't detect a XANA attack while nothing was wrong with the computer?"

"Maybe, but it's still more likely XANA did it." Dennis said. Just then an alarm went off on Dennis cellphone. He flipped it open and read the message.

"Heads up." Dennis said. "XANA just activated another tower."

"I'll text Rumiko and Sven, you get everything else situated." Antea said as the two headed into the elevator.

* * *

Back in Carthage, XANA was already conversing with William Jr. about their next plan of attack.

"Those fools think that you messed with the supercomputer, Master." William Jr. said. "Did you?"

"Not at all, but they don't know that." XANA said.

"Then what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." XANA said. "I only took advantage of their flaws like I always do."

"But how?" William Jr. asked

"You should know by now." XANA said. "And now they're unwilling to take any risks so they'll have no choice but to use the Return to the Past after each deactivation."

"And what good will that do?"

"As you already know, each use only makes me stronger as long as I'm bound to Lyoko." XANA said. "And because of my new program which makes my minions and what they've stolen immune to the time reversion, I gain strength while they gain nothing. And they haven't figured that out yet."

"Sounds like a good strategy, but where do we go next?" William Jr. asked.

"We, as in you and a few others, will infiltrate the Museum of French History."

"What am I to find there?"

"I will brief you along the way." XANA said. "I activated a tower in the ice sector you can use to summon a spectre to the Parisian area. I just need to find a nearby power source which it can spawn from."

Within a few minutes, XANA located a power station just on the other side of the museum. He then came to William Jr.

"Now just do as I say."

* * *

Back on Earth, a blackish spectre came out of one of the transformers and took the form of William Jr. Three other spectres appeared and took the form of XANA's former thugs. They then proceeded to the museum.

Meanwhile, Kadic's museum tour had just ended and Mr. Xavier's class was already having lunch at a nearby diner. Calvin and Sam had already finished their food when the two went up to their teacher.

"Excuse me, Sir." Calvin said. "Is it okay if we head back to the museum?"

"Just the two of you?" Mr. Xavier asked.

"Yeah, they had some cool war stuff I wanted to look at at the gift shop." Sam said

"Okay, but you two stick together and look out for one another, okay?"

"Yessir." Calvin said.

"Good, I'll see you there in a bit."

The two then walked a few blocks from the diner until they reached the museum. In the main lobby, they went in the gift shop and took a look around.

"Amazing." Sam said in awe. "The actual sons of WWII vets selling their fathers' war trophies." (A/N: Remember, 2030s. Pretty much all the WWII vets will be dead by then).

"Wow. All this stuff looks pretty interesting." Calvin said. "I'm gonna check out that table over there."

He then walked over to one of the tables where an old man was sitting.

"How can I help you, Sonny?" He asked.

"Hi." Calvin said. "What can you recommend for someone of Nazi decent who wants to learn more about his heritage? And don't worry, I'm not anti-Semitic."

"How about this?" The man said walking over to a clothing mannequin with a Nazi uniform. "This here's an authentic spare SS uniform dating back to 1929. If you look at the rank insignia, you'll see it belonged to none other than Heinrich Himmler himself. My daddy raided it from his private wardrobe during the Allied Invasion of Germany. For you, 2,000 euros."

"Heinrich Himmler? Oh yeah, my ancestor went to grade school with him." Calvin said. "But my family's strictly anti-Nazi. Do you have something a bit more subtle?"

"Let's see here." The man said pulling out something from under the table. "Here's an authentic Nazi Mauser C96; belonged to Josef Goebbels. It's 150 euros, plus an extra fifty to cover up the swastika engraved on the stock."

"I can't buy guns, I'm only fifteen." Calvin said. "How about just the stock with the swastika covered?" (A/N: The stock on a C96 _can _be removed).

"Alright, that should be ready in a few minutes."

"Hey, Cal." Sam said from the other side of the shop. "Come over here."

Calvin went over to him.

"Check out this cool hat." Sam said pointing to a glass case which contained a highly decorated cap on a stand.

"So are you going to buy it?" Calvin asked.

"That'll be 5,000 euros, kid." The man standing by the case said.

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Sure it's a cool hat, but that's still highway robbery. How do you justify charging 5,000 euros?"

"It belonged to Charles de Gaulle." The man said.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Leader of the Free French during the war." Calvin said.

"But still, I can't afford that." Sam said then faced Calvin.

"What?" Calvin asked. He then understood. "Oh no. I'm not blowing my money just so you can have some stupid war trinket."

"Please?" Sam asked.

"No."

"But it's a cool hat!" Sam protested. Calvin just sighed.

"If I buy it, will you shut up?" Calvin asked. Sam just nodded. "Okay, then." Calvin then pulled out his debit card and gave it to the man. He then scanned the card and gave the hat to Sam.

"Awesome!" Sam shouted as he hugged Calvin. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Get off of me!" Calvin said pushing him off. They then walked out.

"Hey, kid." The man at the table that Calvin visited said. "You forgot your gun stock."

"Oh. Thank you." Calvin said as he gave the man his debit card to scan who, in turn, gave Calvin the stock. "Well, let's get back to the rest now."

"Hey guys." They heard someone say. They turned around to see Mr. Xavier standing by them.

"Oh, hey Mr. Xavier." Calvin said. "What brings you here?"

"I'm just telling you that we're getting ready to leave in five minutes. So if you want to browse around some more, now's the time to do it. By the way, Sam, nice hat."

"Thanks. It belonged to Carl the Maul."

"Charles de Gaulle." Calvin corrected. "Alright, we'll see you then."

"How about I come with you?" Mr. Xavier asked. "I've been meaning to see the rest of this museum for quite a while."

After exploring around for a bit, they ran into Gilbert, their tour guide.

"So how was everything?" He asked.

"It was pretty good." Calvin asked. Gilbert then turned to Sam.

"I see you bought Charles de Gaulle's hat." He said. "I didn't think that it would be sold."

"Well, actually my friend bought it." Sam said.

"By the way, Gilbert, I've been meaning to ask something." Calvin said. "What's in that glass case over there?" Gilbert then led them to the glass case that Calvin had pointed to. It contained a large, gray rock.

"You mean this?" He asked. "That's just part of next week's 'Tribute to Marie Curie' exhibit."

"But what is it?" Sam asked.

"Pure uranium ore." Gilbert said. The kids' eyes just widened. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Go ahead, kick it."

"Calvin, you better not." Mr. Xavier said. Calvin just ignored him and gave the case a hard kick. The glass remained unscathed.

"That's five-centimeter thick, tempered acrylic glass; it's virtually indestructible." (A/N: I know nothing about glass-related physics, so just buy it).

"Well, thanks for that." Mr. Xavier said. "Well, we'd better get..."

Just then the doors burst open and a group of armed men ran in firing their guns as everyone jumped for cover.

"Alright, nobody move!" William Jr. shouted.

* * *

Please Review.


	9. Raid on the Museum

Calvin, Sam and Mr. Xavier were up against the wall at the museum as William Jr. and his thugs prepared to raid the museum.

"Everybody on the floor!" He shouted. "And don't try any funny stuff!" Just then, Calvin's cellphone went off.

"Hello?" He said.

"Cal, it's Dennis. XANA's on the offence."

"Yeah. Kinda figured that out." Calvin said. "And now's the worst possible time to be calling!"

"I'm sending Sven, Antea and Rumiko." Dennis said "Should I wait…?" Just then, a gun fired and Calvin's phone was shattered.

"Hey, I spent all my allowance on that phone!" Calvin shouted.

"I told you not to try anything funny." William Jr. said. Immediately, three security guards came up and pointed their guns at William Jr.

"Alright, freeze!" The lead guard said. "Put your hand in the air where I can see them."

"If you insist." William Jr. said as he put his hands up.

He then summoned long, rope-like spectres from his hand and they wrapped around the guard's neck. Two of William Jr.'s thugs held the other two guards in their arms as William Jr. lifted the lead guard in the air, strangling him. He then snapped his neck and he fell to the ground dead. The two thugs left as William Jr. dealt with the other two security guards. One of them then pulled out his walkie-talkie.

"Sir, this is Officer Pujol." He said. "Officer down. Requesting backup for the main lobby. Repeat Officer down, need back… Oh shi-!" He was then interrupted as he and his partner were impaled in the chest by William Jr.'s spectres; they then fell to the ground.

"That takes care of that." William Jr. said. He then motioned toward his thugs and they proceeded to the other side of the museum. Just then, they found themselves face to face with a blockade of security guards.

"Stop in the name of the law!" One of the guards shouted.

"Fancy yourselves officers of the law, do you?" William Jr. asked. Just then, the windows on the top floor broke open and a group of men in black clothing came sliding down on ropes to the main floor and pointed guns at the security guards (A/N: Kinda clichéd, eh?).

"Luckily, XANA and I have come prepared. Open fire." They then fired their guns killing every guard in sight.

"I know these guys." Mr. Xavier said.

"The guys in black?" Calvin said. "Who are they?"

"They're the Unione Corse: Members of the French organized crime." Mr. Xavier said. "The CIA's been looking for them for a long time."

"Why would XANA be making a deal with organized crime syndicates?" Calvin asked.

"I don't know and I don't like it." Mr. Xavier answered. "If we want to remain safe, though, we'd better stay…"

"Look out!" Gilbert shouted. "He's going for the uranium!" Indeed, William Jr. and his thugs were approaching the glass case with the uranium ore inside.

"What's taking Dennis and the others so long?" Calvin said to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dennis and Antea were at the laboratory when Rumiko and Sven-Søren arrived.

"About time you guys got here." Dennis said impatiently.

"Sorry." Rumiko said. "Real life held us back."

"I'll send you and Sven to the mountain sector." Dennis said. "When I'm sure it's clear, then I'll send Antea."

"No." Antea said. "You'll send me now. You need all the help you can get."

"What? No way." Dennis said. "Not with ANAX running around trying to kill you."

"My father, God rest his soul, took the same risks with my mother when she was still bound to Lyoko." Antea said. "ANAX is just one other enemy, he's just as dangerous as everything else."

"Fine." Dennis sighed. "I'll send you all. Now get to the scanner room."

"Okay." The three said as they took the elevator down into the scanner room. The three then stepped out and went into the scanners. Dennis then got the virtualization procedure started.

"Transfer Sven. Transfer Rumiko. Transfer Antea."

"Scanner Sven. Scanner Rumiko. Scanner Antea."

"Virtualization."

Immediately, the trio appeared on the mountain sector.

"Alright guys, the tower is just ahead of you." Dennis said. "But it's still a lot of ground to cover."

"Got it." Rumiko said as the three proceeded on foot.

Meanwhile in Carthage, XANA was already noticing the three Lyoko Warriors as they headed off to their destination.

"Alright, Wiliam." XANA said to his apprentice. "You know what to do."

"Yes, Master." William Jr. said as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and headed off into the mountain sector.

* * *

At the museum, William Jr. on Earth was examining the glass case which contained the uranium ore. He then shot a blast of lightning around the case. The lightning then enveloped the case and it shattered into many pieces that went flying across the room.

"No! The uranium. It's in the open!" Gilbert said covering his mouth with his shirt. (A/N: I know little about radiation exposure, so if I'm wrong, just assume that he's being overly cautious). Sam then heard his phone go off and looked at it.

"Just got a text from Dennis, guys." He said. "He says that the cavalry has entered."

"Good." Calvin said as he walked away.

"Hold it." Mr. Xavier said grabbing the back of his shirt." Where do you think you're going?"

"To the factory to help the others."

"No. You're staying here while you're still alive." Mr. Xavier said. "You take one step out and Willy will kill you."

"Then I'll make sure he won't." Calvin said running up to William Jr. just as the latter was about to claim his prize.

"Calvin, what do you think you're doing?" Mr. Xavier exclaimed. "Get back here."

"No way. I want to see this." Sam said.

William Jr. then proceeded to pick up the large rock and placed it in a container that the Unione Corse had brought in. Just as he was about to place the ore in the container, Calvin immediately came up and delivered a roundhouse kick to his back, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop the ore.

"Calvin?" He asked.

"You're not going anywhere." Calvin said.

"You really want to make this difficult?" William Jr. asked. He then shot out a blast of lightning from his hands and knocked Calvin to the ground. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

* * *

Announcement: Effective now, I'll be placing 100 Days on a temporary hiatus. The reason being that I want to focus more time on this story and also I was _really_ disappointed with how the last story of 100 Days turned out (Not the homophobia one, the one I'm talking about I deleted for revision). But at least I won't have to deal with working on two stories.

Please Review.


	10. Calvin vs William Jr

On Lyoko, Antea, Sven-Søren and Rumiko were already making their way to the activated tower. Dennis had sent them into the Mountain sector and was already trying to find XANA's location on Earth.

"Great." He said sarcastically.

"Problem, Dennis?" Rumiko asked.

"I still can't find what XANA's up to." Dennis said. "I texted Sam not too long ago, but still no response."

"Well, give it time." Antea said. "They _are_ in a museum you know."

"But that's the thing." Dennis said. "Calvin called earlier saying that he kinda figured… Oh great."

"What?" Sven-Søren asked.

"XANA's at the museum." Dennis said. He then looked back on his map to find anything suspicious. "Then how come the map isn't showing anything."

"Calvin, wherever you are, you better be alright." Antea said as they continued to proceed on foot.

* * *

Back at the museum, Calvin got up after being knocked to the ground by William Jr.

"Alright." Calvin said. "Let's get this over with."

"Kid, what are you doing?" One of the bystanders shouted to Calvin. "Get out of there before he kills you!"

Calvin didn't listen. He just ran up to William Jr. and delivered a blow that knocked him to the ground.

"You're stronger than I remember." William Jr. said getting up. "I guess that's just a side-effect."

"Side-effect?" Calvin said to himself before he was again knocked down.

"Come on, Cal. Get up." Sam shouted.

"Sam, don't encourage him." Mr. Xavier said. He then turned to Calvin. "Calvin, get out of there before you get yourself killed!"

"No way." Calvin said. "I want to finish this."

"What the heck, Calvin!" Mr. Xavier shouted.

Calvin then ran up to William Jr. and continued to land blow after blow. William Jr. then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared behind him as he delivered a double axe handle to the back of Calvin's neck as Calvin fell to the ground. Immediately, members of the Unione Corse went up to him and prepared to kill him. But just then, Calvin got up and fought off the Unione Corse members. Using his Pencak Silat training, he was able to fend off his adversaries and dodge their attacks.

"Alright, Calvin!" Sam said as he cheered him on.

When he finished with the thugs, Calvin charged towards William Jr. pinning him to the wall. He then began punching him repeatedly until William Jr. disappeared again.

* * *

Back on Lyoko in the Mountain Sector, Antea, Rumiko and Sven-Søren were already heading down the path to the tower when they found themselves ambushed by XANA's monsters and William Jr.

"Dennis." Rumiko said. "Looks like XANA's party has just arrived."

Indeed it has. For just then, a swarm of Hornets and Mantas, along with William Jr. and his black Tarantula, advanced upon the trio of warriors.

"What now?" Antea asked.

"We fight." Sven-Søren said drawing his axe and charging towards the monsters. William Jr. then jumped off his Tarantula and drew his punching dagger as the rest of the monsters charged towards them. Sven-Søren swung his axe at the oncoming monsters and was able to wipe out half the Hornet swarm with a single swipe. William Jr. then ran up to him while Sven-Søren slammed his axe to the ground generating his Enhanced Strength shockwave.

However, while the shockwave stunned the Tarantula, William Jr. jumped up into the air and drew his sword. He then dived down and prepared to attack Sven-Søren. Fortunately, Sven just jumped out of the way causing William Jr. to miss and hit the ground. While William Jr. was getting back up, Antea charged towards him and fired energy field after energy field. William Jr., however, just blocked each of the attacks. He was about to attack back until he felt a sharp pain in his back and fell to the ground. He turned around to find Rumiko making herself visible.

"Miss me?" She asked as she prepared to deliver the final blow. Before she could strike, though, William Jr. just got up and threw her to the ground holding her at knifepoint with his dagger.

"Not really." He said as he prepared to strike. But just then, Antea came up and knocked William Jr. off of her. Antea was then blasted by one of the Mantas and she fell to the ground, stunned but not devirtualized. Sven-Søren, seeing this, immediately broke away from the Hornet swarm and threw his axe at the Manta, destroying it.

"Thanks for that." Antea said to him.

"No p…" Sven-Søren tried to say before he has stabbed in the back by William Jr. and instantly devirtualized.

"You're next." William Jr. said approaching them.

"Antea, make a run for the tower." Dennis said. "Help is on the way." Antea did as she was told as she ran away from the others and towards the tower. Just as William Jr. was about to pursue her, a series of knives came flying out of nowhere and hit the black Tarantula, the last Manta and a few of the Hornets. Most of them even hit William Jr. as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Rumiko immediately saw who it was:

"Ami." She said.

"Rumiko, help Antea." She said. "I'll take care of the Hornets."

* * *

Back on Earth, William Jr. and Calvin were still fighting at the museum. As Calvin delivered a roundhouse kick towards William Jr. that sent him flying towards the wall, he immediately broke open one of the display cases and pulled out a longsword from it. He then swung the sword at Calvin who dodged it at every opportunity he got. Then, Calvin found himself cornered with William Jr. about to make the strike. However, Calvin grabbed the sword blade with both hands and pulled the sword from William Jr.'s hands. Calvin then looked at his hand and saw that it was bleeding heavily.

"Just a scratch." Calvin said to himself as he tore off part of his sleeve and wrapped it around his hand.

"Calvin, look!" Sam shouted. Calvin turned around to find Unione Corce members taking the uranium ore and placing it in a large container.

"Forget it, Calvin." Mr. Xavier said. "The Return to the Past will fix everything anyway."

* * *

Back on Lyoko, Antea could already see the tower in front of her. Just then, she found two Tarantulas blocking the way and firing at her. As she hid behind a rock for cover, Rumiko came up and threw her sai at the Tarantulas wounding one and killing the other.

"I got it from here." Rumiko said. "Go now!"Antea then headed inside the tower and proceeded to deactivate it. She then reached the platform and entered CODE: LYOKO.

Back on Earth, William Jr. fell to the ground as he felt himself begin to disappear. However, he just chuckled.

"You lose, Calvin." He said disappearing."You lose." Just then, a bright light came out of nowhere and enveloped the museum.

"Return to the Past, now." Dennis said.

* * *

At the museum, everything was fixed and everyone was acting as if nothing happened, with the exception of Calvin, Sam and Mr. Xavier who were unaffected by the return trip.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's get back before…" Mr. Xavier started to say.

"Oh no!" Gilbert shouted. "The uranium! It's gone!" Indeed it was. For the glass case that contained it is now empty.

"Impossible." Calvin said shocked. "The return trip should have brought it back."

"You didn't see anything suspicious, did you?" Gilbert said to the three.

"We better leave before things get more out of hand." Sam said.

"Gotcha." Mr. Xavier said as they headed out leaving them confused about what had happened.

* * *

Well, due to end of the year stuff, I may end up postponing both stories until my summer break starts (June 15th), but after that, it'll be smooth sailing once again. I might fit another chapter in; we'll see how things go.

Please Review.


	11. The Next Plan and Soccer Match

First off, I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been so busy with getting prepared for finals and other stuff during the first two weeks of summer. But now I'm back and ready to continue my updating. And now that I'm in summer hours, I'll be able to update probably every other day if not every day. I'll try to fit in updates for 100 Days as well, but only if I have a spring of ideas.

* * *

After the field trip and the XANA attack, Calvin and Sam met up with the others to talk about what happened.

"Hey guys." Rumiko said. "How was the trip?"

"You mean other than the XANA attack?" Calvin asked dryly.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that." Rumiko said.

"But other than that, it went well." Calvin said. Rumiko then turned to Sam to find him scowling and his arms folded.

"What's wrong with him?" Rumiko asked.

"He's just upset because the return trip brought back Charles de Gaulle's hat and I refused to buy it for him again."

"Charles who?" Rumiko asked.

"Anyways, I gotta get going." Dennis said. "We're playing Diderot tonight and I need to fit in all the practice I need."

"Wait, there's something we need to tell you first." Calvin said.

"Unless it's about the game, it can wait." Dennis said as he ran off. Calvin then over to Sam.

"Come on. We should probably fit some practice in too."

"Don't talk to me." Sam said still upset. "I'm not speaking to you."

"But you just did." Calvin said confused. The two then headed off to get ready for their practice.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an abandoned building on the other side of town, William Jr. and his thugs showed up laying down the stolen uranium from the museum.

"Here's the power source you asked for, Master." William Jr. said.

Excellent." Said a shadowy figure from the other side of the room: One of XANA's specters, only looking less deformed than in the two's first meeting.

"I see you've regained strength." William Jr. said.

"Yes." XANA said. "The return trips helped. In a matter of time, I'll have all my strength back and then continue my conquest to eradicate humanity for good."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that, Master?" William Jr. asked. "Another monster army?"

"All in due time, my apprentice." XANA said. "Right now, just focus on your next task at hand."

"What is my next mission?" William Jr. asked.

"An Italian hospital is showcasing some prototype gene-splicing technology. If I can get my hands on it, I can speed up production of my grand plan and release it earlier than anticipated." XANA said. "You must first go to Sicily to make a deal with the Mafia groups there and convince them to break into the hospital in Rome and steal the technology we need. Is that understood?"

William Jr. nodded.

"Good." XANA said. "The equipment makes its debut next week, we attack then. Now get the uranium prepared."

* * *

Back at Kadic, the soccer game against Diderot was already going on. The team proved themselves a formidable opponent by keeping the score tied 3-3 at the end of the half and not allowing a single goal from 30 minutes in until halftime. The teams then went back to the locker rooms and began talking about their strategy for the next half.

"What happened to us out there?" Lance asked. "We can't be losing this easily."

"The game's only tied." Sam pointed out.

"Right, and we still have 45 minutes to catch up." Calvin said. "We'll just focus on our defense. Then when they're at their slowest, we'll kick up the offense."

"That plan might just be crazy enough to work." Sven-Søren said.

"Why wouldn't it?" Calvin asked.

"I'm a chess master, Cal. I know more about strategy then you ever will. But what few options do we have?"

"I'm glad you're in assent." Calvin said. "Now let's get back out there."

"GO KADIC!" The team said as they put their hands in and headed back out to the field.

As the second half went on, Kadic found themselves able to hold off the opposing team and not allow a single goal all half. The most impressive moment, perhaps, came in the last minute when Calvin managed to kick the ball right between the legs of the nearest defender. He then literately leaped over the defender and managed to kick the ball straight into the net. Everyone just stood there stunned.

Diderot's coach then called a timeout and consulted the referee about the move, calling it illegal.

"Sorry, coach. Nothin' in the rules says it's not allowed." He said. "Now get back to the sidelines."

"Great job, guys." Jim said to his team. "Now just hold them off for five more minutes and we win this."

The teams then went back onto the field as the ball was placed in the center of the field. As soon as the whistle blew, Sam managed to run up and get the ball away from the opposing team. The teams then continued to fight over the ball for the remainder of the time. After five minutes were up, Kadic had won after not allowing a single goal all half. The teams then headed back to their respective locker rooms.

"Well played." Dennis said. "Keep this up, and we'll be ready for Carnot next week."

"Carnot?" Sam asked. "Lycee Carnot?"

"I don't understand. Who's Lycee Carnot?" Calvin asked.

"The school that Daft Punk went to." Sam answered.

"Don't listen to him." Dennis said. "Lycee Carnot is the school with the top-ranked soccer team in the nation."

"They're big competition; a big favorite for the national title." Ian said. "Rumor has it that their captain has played soccer since before he was two."

"I heard he's been writing soccer strategies since he was four." Owen said.

"Nevertheless, a team is a team no matter how good." Calvin said. "Now if you excuse me, I'm heading off to bed."

"You sure you don't want to stay up for the festivities?" Sam asked.

"We only beat a mid-ranked team. It really isn't worth staying up and celebrating over." Calvin said. Calvin then headed back to the school as Dennis remembered something.

"Almost forgot." Dennis said as he pulled out his phone and turned it on. "Wow. 129 news reports in the past 5 hours?"

As Dennis read through the news reports, he couldn't believe what he was seeing: Reports from all over were talking about the disappeared uranium ore from the museum. Dennis then ran towards Calvin to tell him what he had read.

"Hey, Cal!" He shouted as he ran up to his friend. "That museum you visited? Apparently, an ore of uranium disappeared from its display there."

"Yeah, I know." Calvin said. "XANA took it while we were there."

"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Dennis asked. Calvin just glared at him. "Oh…"

"But it's impossible." Calvin said. "The return trip should have brought back the uranium to its proper place."

"XANA must've bugged up the Return to the Past program as well." Dennis said. "How could be there so many bugs but yet I can't find anything."

"Look, it's getting late. Why not sleep on it?" Calvin said. "Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure we can take a lok at it tomorrow."

"Okay." Dennis said as the two headed back to the dorm.

* * *

Please Review.


	12. Preparation

The morning after the soccer match, Calvin and Sam got up and got themselves prepared for the new day. In the showers, the duo was still talking about last night's game and how it went.

"I still can't believe what happened last night." Sam said. "It was just amazing."

"Yeah, it was pretty impressive, I guess." Calvin said. "Hopefully we do as good against Carnot next week."

"Oh, we will. Especially after that little stunt you pulled last night." Sam said. "Speaking of which, how did you do that?"

"What?"

"The whole 'leap of faith' thing." Sam answered. "The only time I've seen you jump like that is on Lyoko."

"I don't know." Calvin said. "It just seemed like something I knew how to do for a long time; like nothing to it. But right now, I'm just focusing on more present things, like today's history test."

"Again?" Sam sighed. "Why does he insist on giving out these tests so often?"

"This one's different." Calvin said. "This one's about what we learned during the museum trip yesterday. Hopefully you can at least remember _that_."

"Oh, don't worry about me." Sam said. "I definitely remember more than enough."

"I certainly hope so." Calvin said as the two headed to the showers.

* * *

Afterwards, they headed down to the cafeteria, got their breakfast and headed to their usual table where Ami, Rumiko, Dennis, and Sven-Søren were waiting for them.

"Hey, guys." Ami said.

"Hey." They both said.

"Hey, Cal. I saw last night's game." Rumiko said.

"Oh?" Calvin said.

"That was some pretty crazy stuff you did out there."

"Yeah, I'm surprised Jim didn't pull you off for unsportsmanlike conduct." Dennis said.

"Well, that's not even his decision, it's the ref's." Calvin said. "Besides, doing one unbelievable move doesn't necessarily make you a show-off."

"By the way, where's Antea?" Sam asked.

"She's running late." Dennis said. "She should be here in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay." Calvin said. Just then, they saw two people running towards their table: Owen and Lance.

"Hey guys. Take a look at this." Lance said placing a flyer in the middle of the table. Calvin then picked it up and read what it said.

"A martial arts tournament?" He asked. "Here at Kadic?"

"Yeah. Coach is holding it next week, the day before we face Carnot." Owen said. "All the great martial artists in the school will be there."

"And you're telling us this why?" Calvin asked.

"Your dad owns a dojo, right?" Lance said. "You probably know so much already. Well, see you around."

"Okay." Calvin said as the two left. He then looked at the flyer again.

"Calvin, you aren't seriously thinking about entering, are you?" Rumiko asked.

"Well, why not?" Calvin asked. "I think I'm up for it." Dennis and Rumiko just looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked.

"Um, no offense, Cal, but you're not the best fighter." Dennis said.

"Yeah, you can't even beat me after years of me training you." Rumiko said.

"Oh, like your any better, Dennis." Calvin said.

"That's different." Dennis said. "I've already had no experience. You on the other hand can practice and practice until the end of time but you'll never get any better. I think that's even more embarrassing."

"Hey, you should've seen this kid when William Jr. was attacking the museum yesterday." Sam said. "He pretty much handed his ass to him."

"'This kid'?" Calvin said to himself.

"Well still. Other than school and soccer, you suck at everything." Sven-Søren quipped.

"No one asked you!" Calvin shouted to him. "I won't stand for this. I'm entering that tournament and proving you wrong!"

"And just to show you what you're going up against, I'm entering as well." Sven-Søren said. Everyone just looked at him. "I'm an expert in Stav, the martial arts of Norway; I think I stand more of a chance than anyone else."

"Well I'm entering too, then." Sam said.

"What?" Calvin asked. "Sam, you don't even have any school smarts. What makes you think you can stand a chance in a martial arts tournament?"

"I don't." Sam said. "But I always stick by not only my boyfriend, but my best buddy as well."

"I appreciate that." Calvin said. Just then, Antea showed up.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" She asked.

"Cal's entering a martial arts tournament next week." Rumiko said.

"Oh, neat." Antea said. Just then the bell rang.

"We'll talk later. We'd better get to class." Rumiko said. "Hey, Cal. Stop by the gymnasium after school. I want to give you another lesson to prepare for the tournament."

"Okay." Calvin said. "I'll be there."

* * *

After first hour, Mr. Xavier began passing back the tests that the class had taken at the beginning of the period while giving two to three word comments saying how they did.

"Nice. Nice. Very good. Good improvement. Excellent. Nice. Nice. And Calvin, highest grade once again."

"Thanks, Sir." Calvin said.

"How did I do?" Sam asked.

"How do you think?" Mr. Xavier asked glaring at him.

"Um… bad?"

"Well, that's an understatement." He said passing back Sam's test. "Sorry, but you get an F." The bell then rang signaling the end of the class period.

"See you all tomorrow, class." Mr. Xavier said. He then turned to Calvin. "Hey, Calvin. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure thing." Calvin said walking over to him.

"Yesterday at the museum, what was up with you back there?"

"What do you mean?" Calvin asked.

"I told you to stay back, but you wouldn't listen. You just stayed there and continuing wailing at William Jr. while he tried to kill you."

"Well…"

"And not to mention last night when you pulled off that crazy-ass soccer move."

"Yeah, what about it?" Calvin asked. "Is it really something to be concerned about?"

"It just seems a bit unusual for you, is all." Mr. Xavier said. "Normally you listen to someone the first time and normally you aren't that skilled at those kinds of moves."

"Yeah, I have been noticing that I've been getting a bit stronger myself." Calvin said.

"I can't help but think that XANA's behind this."

"Seriously?" Calvin said. "No offense, but that's kinda stupid to assume. I mean, why would XANA want to be making me stronger?" Calvin just walked out and headed to his next class. Mr. Xavier just turned around.

"I don't think I want to know." Mr. Xavier said to himself.

After school got out, Calvin headed to the gymnasium, changed into his Pencak Silat clothing and got ready for his lesson with Rumiko.

* * *

Please Review (Especially since my top reviewer and #1 fan is losing interest in my stories. I need all the reviews I can get).


	13. Practice, the Tournament and Surprises

Calvin walked towards the gymnasium floor where Rumiko was waiting for him. Calvin also saw Sam and Dennis in the side lines; he went over to them.

"Hey." Calvin said. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, we just came to see our good friends duke it out. Why el-?"

"Sam bet me 10 euros that you could beat Rumiko, I bet otherwise." Dennis said interrupting Sam. "We just came to see who would win."

"Hey Calvin." Rumiko said. "Ready to lose again?"

"Not this time." Calvin said.

"Hey." Sam said. "When was the last time you won, anyway?"

"Never." Rumiko answered for him. "_My_ current winning streak, however, is 12."

"Wins?" Dennis asked.

"No, years." Rumiko said.

"Wait, wait, wait." Sam said. "You guys have been practicing Pencak Silat for 12 years? And Calvin hasn't won once?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Calvin said. "The only person I can beat is my sister, and student, Ami. And even she's beaten me more times than I have beaten her."

"Alright, Sam. Pay up." Dennis said.

"The match hasn't even started yet." Sam said.

"Fine." Dennis sighed. He then turned to the two siblings. "Best of five. Once your shoulders touch the ground, you're out. No cheap shots, no other illegal maneuvers. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The two said.

"Good." Dennis said. "Have a clean fight."

The two then took their stances and began to face off. Rumiko started by launching a forward kick towards Calvin. However, he jumped out of the way just in time causing Rumiko to almost lose her balance; Rumiko just regained her balance got back into position. Calvin then launched a low strike towards Rumiko, who blocked it with her knee. Rumiko then struck him in the chest knocking him to the ground.

"Point, Rumiko." Dennis said. "1-0."

Calvin got back up and back into his stance. He then moved toward Rumiko and prepared to attack. Rumiko anticipated this, however, and blocked each strike that came her way. Calvin tried to launch a kick, but Rumiko just jumped back causing Calvin to almost lose his balance. However, he managed to regain his position and continue to attack Rumiko. Calvin then threw a punch forward but Rumiko ducked and swept his legs, flooring him.

"Point, Rumiko." Dennis said, "2-0."

"Come on." Sam said. "Get up."

Calvin got back up. He knew now he had to give it his all if he didn't want to be defeated for the millionth time. Calvin put all his energy forward and put forward every attack he had at disposal. Fortunately for Rumiko, she had seen this coming; she just dodged every move that came her way. As Calvin kept trying, and failing, to lay one attack on his sister, he felt himself getting more and more exhausted. Rumiko, taking advantage of this, waited for when he was at his most worn out and landed a sideways kick right to the side of his face, knocking him to the ground.

"3-0." Dennis said. "Winner: Rumiko."

Sam just groaned after hearing this. Rumiko then went up to Calvin and helped him up.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Just fine." Calvin said. "Still lost, though."

"Calvin, you have potential to be a great fighter. You have strength, but what you lack is the mental capability." Rumiko said. "You need focus, Calvin. Clear your mind of everything else and concentrate on the battle at hand."

"Okay." Calvin said.

"And another thing: Don't just flail your arms around like you did in the third round; that's a perfect way for you to lose valuable energy. Think before you attack, find what move works for you the best and use that to your advantage." Rumiko said. "We'll be doing this every afternoon for the rest of the week. So I expect to see you here tomorrow."

"Okay." Calvin said leaving.

"And until these sessions are over, you are to call me _sensei. _Understood?"

"Yes, Sensei." Calvin said.

"Good." Rumiko said. "Now go get some rest." Dennis then turned to Sam.

"Pay up." He said. Sam just gave him a 10-euro bill and walked away. "Pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

Throughout the next week, Calvin was put through rigorous training sessions set up by Rumiko. As the days passed on, he found himself becoming more and more ready for the tournament. After the week had passed, the tournament began. Calvin stood at the edge of the gymnasium with his sisters, Antea and Dennis waiting for the other contestants to be done.

"I still can't believe Sam made it past the first round." Dennis said.

"Well, I will give him credit, he was pretty quick out there." Antea said. "I just hope he survives against Calvin."

"Please. He won't even make it to the semi-finals." Calvin said.

"You ready for this?" Ami asked.

"Yep." Calvin said.

"Alright." Jim said. "Calvin Stern. Please enter the ring."

"Good luck out there." Ami said.

"Remember what I taught you." Rumiko said. Calvin walked out on the field and faced his opponent. Jim then signaled the fight to begin. The first round went smoothly; Calvin dodged each of his opponent's moves and eventually overcame him.

"Winner: Stern." Jim said.

"Alright, Cal!" Rumiko shouted. The remainder of the tournament went by with not only Calvin, but Sam proceeding through the tournament as well. Eventually, the two reached the semi-finals along with Lance and Sven-Søren.

"Wow, Sam." Calvin said. "I can't believe you made it this far."

"Yeah." Sam said. "You too."

"Well, all the training paid off." Calvin said. "But how do you…?"

"Della Robbia. Martin. You're up!" Jim said motioning towards Sam and Lance. They then took their positions and the fight began.

Lance started strong against his smaller opponent, but what Sam lacked in size, he made up for with speed. As Lance threw punch after punch, Sam just dodged every move. When Lance was at his weakest, Sam went up and delivered a strike that knocked his opponent to the ground.

"Still think a bi can't fight?" Sam asked him.

"Of course not." Lance said. "You just got lucky." The fight just went on and on until eventually Sam won 3-1.

"I don't believe it." Dennis said.

"Next up." Jim said. "Stern and Hagensen."

"Alright, Calvin. You're up." Antea said.

"Knock 'em dead, buddy!" Sam shouted to him. Calvin walked up to the center of the ring standing face to face with the hulking Norwegian.

"And…Fight!" Jim said as the two began. Despite Calvin's best efforts, Sven-Søren kept blocking his every attack and holding Calvin back. Calvin tried to swing a hit at him, but Sven-Søren dodged and swept his feet. Calvin then fell to the ground.

"Point, Hagensen." Jim said. "1-0."

"Come on, you can do it." Antea said to Calvin as he got back up. Calvin tried to hit back, but Sven-Søren continued avoiding him and landing blow after blow on Calvin. Calvin tried his best to stay up despite the punishment he was receiving.

"Come on." Sven-Søren said. "Come on, fight me!"

Calvin just ignored him and concentrated on the fight at hand. Calvin jumped forward and tried to land a front kick on him. Sven-Søren just grabbed the leg and flipped him down; he then delivered a strike to his ribs giving him the point.

"Point. Hagensen." Jim said. "2-0."

"Get up, runt." Sven-Søren said. "Get up!" Just then something inside Calvin snapped. Once he got up, he jumped up and did a triple flip in the air and landed behind his opponent. When Sven-Søren wasn't looking, Calvin kneed him in the back. Sven-Søren just screamed in pain and doubled over as he fell to the ground. The officials just ran over to him as everyone just stared with their mouths open.

"Awesome!" Sam shouted. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"Oh my God!" Ami shouted. "I think he's hurt."

"Hagensen: Out of commission! Stern: Disqualified!" Jim shouted. "Winner by default: Sam Della Robbia."

However, Sam wasn't there to claim his prize. He and his friends were already following Sven-Søren as he was being escorted to the infirmary.

* * *

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	14. Crime and Punishment

While the tournament was going on, XANA was already launching his next plan. In a small villa on the island of Sicily near Italy, a group of Mafia gangsters were in a meeting with the boss of their syndicate discussing a new wave of crime to set across the country.

"There's a new exhibit at the museum in Naples." One member said. "Over 5 million euros worth of artwork from Pompeii."

"Too cheap." The boss said. "Besides, ever since the failed drug trafficking plot six months ago, there's been larger police crackdowns than we can handle. We have to go where they won't expect us."

"Perhaps we may be of some help?" Said a voice from the doorway. The gang turned to see William Jr. approaching them.

"And just what can you do?" Another member asked.

"My boss is requiring the help of numerous crime syndicates overseas to carry out a grandiose plan that will benefit us all." William Jr. said. "A hospital in Rome is showcasing some new technology that is of great interest to my syndicate. Perhaps the great Cosa Nostra could help me out."

"Our priorities are of great magnitude. We don't take part in such petty crimes like hospital robbery." The boss said.

"So that's a no?" William Jr. asked. "I guess I'll just have to take you by force."

"You and what army?" The first gang member asked.

"Well, since you asked…" William Jr. then snapped his fingers and all his thugs from each country he had visited stormed the villa and held the entire gang at gunpoint. The Sicilians then pulled out their own guns.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Do we really have to resort to this?" William Jr. said as he summoned a spectre which enveloped his foes' guns and crushed them like eggshells. "Alright, open fire. But spare the Don."

His thugs did just that as they shot at every other gang member until they fell to the ground dead or surrendered. When they all died and the survivors gave up, William Jr. called off the firing and walked through the bloody mess of corpses to the frightened boss.

"Now to deal with you personally." William Jr. said grabbing the boss by the face and ran towards the window.

Using his victim as a shield, William Jr. broke through the window and landed on the ground with himself on top. Then, grabbing a stray rock, William Jr. went up to the fallen boss and smashed his head in until he was sure he was dead. He then got up to find his thugs leading the survivors out with their hands over their heads.

"Now, are we gonna try something like this again?" William Jr. asked them. They just shook their heads.

"Good." William Jr. said as he pulled something out of his pocket: A small detonator used for demolition purposes. "Now to leave no evidence."

William Jr. then pressed the detonator causing the villa to explode and go up in flames.

"My great-uncle's teachings have finally paid off." He said as he and the others left and prepared to launch the attack on Rome.

* * *

Back at Kadic, Sven-Søren was lying in one of the beds at the infirmary as Nurse Yolanda was examining his back.

"So how bad is it?" Sam asked.

"It's just a muscle spasm." The nurse said. "He'll need to lay down for about a week for his back to heal." Sam just turned and glared at Calvin.

"Hey. Don't look at me like it's my fault." Calvin said.

"It _is _your fault." Dennis said.

"What were you thinking, Calvin?" Antea exclaimed. "You could have seriously injured him."

"Antea's right." Rumiko said. Just then Jim came into the infirmary ad came up to Calvin.

"Stern. Come with me." He said. Calvin just followed as Jim as he led him out of the room.

"Look." Calvin said. "I'm really sorry for what I did to Sven."

"Well, 'sorry' isn't going to heal his back any faster." Jim said. "I'm really disappointed with you, Stern; I expected better sportsmanship from someone like you."

"I know." Calvin said softly.

"You are hereby suspended from tonight's soccer game and you are to spend each afternoon after lunch for the next week in the library for detention."

"What?" Calvin said. "But Jim, tonight's the Carnot game."

"Well, you're just going to have to miss it." Jim said. "As for tonight and every night after dinner, you're grounded to your dorm and I better not see you in the halls for any reason during your punishment."

"But what about if I…?"

"FOR ANY REASON!" Jim shouted. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir." Calvin said.

"Now get to your dorm." Calvin didn't say anything as he just headed back to his dorm room and threw himself on his bed. A few minutes later, he heard hi cell phone go off and he answered it.

"Hello?" Calvin asked.

"Cal, it's Dennis." Dennis said. "XANA's on the attack."

"Well, I wish I could help, but I'm grounded and Jim's out patrolling the hallways." Calvin said.

"Well, can't you go out through the window?"

"Dennis, It's a two-story drop. I'll never survive or at least come out unscathed and unnoticed." Calvin said. "Sorry, but I'll have to sit this one out."

"Okay. I understand. See you tomorrow morning." Dennis then hung up the phone and turned to the others.

"Well, is he coming?" Ami asked.

"He's grounded and can't make it." Dennis said exasperated.

"Well, that figures." Rumiko said dryly. "Come on. We better get to the factory, pronto."

"Right behind you." Dennis said as they all ran off.

Back in his room, Calvin was just pacing around debating with himself whether or not to make a run for it.

"Screw it." Calvin said to himself. "Maybe I'll get lucky."

He then ran towards the window and jumped out. However, instead of falling as he intended, he ended up climbing down the outside of the wall. When he was low enough, he dropped to the ground and ran towards the factory, completely unnoticed.

* * *

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	15. ANAX's Desert Battle

As Calvin escaped from his punishment, Dennis, Rumiko, Ami and Antea were already on their way to the factory as they began talking about the potential attack.

"So what do you think XANA has planned this time?" Ami asked.

"The alert I got didn't say." Dennis said. "Same with the past two alerts. It's like XANA's been invisible this whole time."

"Well, how did you get the alert?" Rumiko asked.

"It only detects activated towers and their location." Dennis said. "It doesn't say XANA's spectre's locations or what exactly the attack is."

"Right now, let's just focus on stopping the attack while we can." Antea said. They then continued through the sewers, to the factory and finally to the laboratory.

"Alright, I'm sending all three of you at once." Dennis said. "The tower should be located in the desert sector."

"Got it." He three said as they took the elevator down to the scanner room. Dennis then set up the procedure as they stepped inside the scanners.

"Transfer Ami. Transfer Rumiko. Transfer Antea."

"Scanner Ami. Scanner Rumiko. Scanner Antea."

"Virtualization."

* * *

The three then appeared onto the sector as Dennis began briefing them.

"Okay, guys." He said. "The tower should be 20 degrees north by northwest from your current position, but be careful. Odds are XANA isn't going to make this easy for you."

"Gotcha." Rumiko said as she and the others drew their weapons and ran as fast as they could to the tower.

As the three proceeded across the desert, Dennis caught glimpse of the adjacent screen and saw XANA's monsters coming towards them.

"Heads up, guys." Dennis said. "You have company."

At that moment, the trio looked up to see a group of monsters coming towards them: Ten Kankrelats, four blocks, and two Krabes. All led by William Jr. on his black Tarantula.

"Hello, Willy." Rumiko said.

"Rumiko." William Jr. said. "Well. Let's get this over with. Attack!"

The rest of the monsters charged towards the others while William Jr. drew his weapons and dismounted from his Tarantula. Rumiko then drew her sai and proceeded to attack him. Ami and Antea, however, were preoccupied with their own battle.

"What do we do?" Ami asked.

"I can take control of a Krabe to act as a diversion." Antea said. "But I can't hold it for long. Just try to wipe out as many as you can before getting devirtualized."

"You want me to risk devirtualizing myself in order to destroy the whole group?"

"If it'll mean giving us an advantage, then yes." Antea said. Ami just nodded as she headed off while Antea extended her arm and took possession of one of the two Krabes. The Krabe then turned around and began firing at the other monsters.

As William Jr. and Rumiko continued fighting, William Jr. noticed the possessed Krabe attacking the monsters and went to remedy the situation. Breaking away from the fight, he shot out a spectre from his hand and impaled Antea on the leg, causing her to lose her focus.

"Be careful." Dennis said. "You've already lost 20 life points."

"Alright." Antea said as she got up. When she did, she found herself surrounded by the remaining monsters. The monsters were about to attack until one by one, they were destroyed by an unseen force.

"Nice job, Rumiko." Antea said as Rumiko had appeard in fromt of her face. She had used her invisibility to sneak past the monsters and deliver a surprise attack.

"All in a day's wor…" She said just before she was pushed to the ground by William Jr. who held his blade to her neck.

"Rumiko, I'll…" Ami said before she felt a sharp stabbing in her back and was instantly devirtualized. The other two turned around to find the one responsible: ANAX.

"Dennis, we have a problem." Antea said. "ANAX is after us. What do we do?"

"Try to hold him back and buy as much time as you can." Dennis said.

"You try to out run them and get to the tower." Rumiko said to her. "I'll hold back Wiliam Jr."

"Got it." Antea said as she made a dash for it.

"After her!" William Jr. signaled to his monsters as they charged towards the fleeing Antea. Antea just fired blast after blast, destroying a monster every so often.

* * *

Back on Earth, Ami already made her way to the lab and got next to Dennis to see what was happeneing so far.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Antea's by herself out there." Dennis said. "She needs backup or ANAX will kill her."

"I have just the help you need." Said a voice from the other side of the room. The two then turned around to see who it was.

"Calvin." Dennis asked. "Why are you here? I thought you were grounded."

"I snuck out." Calvin said as if it was no big deal.

"You snuck out?" Ami asked. "How could you sneak out?"

"Do you want to know the full story or are you going to let me help Antea?" Calvin asked. "Where's Sam by the way."

"Oh, he's in the infirmary keeping his boyfriend company." Dennis said. "You know, due to your injuring of him!"

"Just forget about the goddamn Norwegian and the goddamn tournament and send me to Lyoko or I'll snap _your_ fucking back as well!" Calvin shouted grabbing the collar of Dennis shirt.

"Stop it, Calvin!" Ami shouted. "He didn't even do anything!"

"Get to the scanners." Dennis sighed. Calvin just took the elevator down to the scanner room as Dennis set up the program.

On Lyoko, Antea had already destroyed all but one Krabe, one Blok, seven Kankrelats, and the black Tarantula. She was already running out of energy and collapsed just within seeing distance from the tower. As the Tarantula was about to fire its lasers, ANAX came by with lightning speed and destroyed it and the other nine monsters as well. ANAX then drew his sword and pointed it at Antea.

"Prepare for immediate eradication, foreign program." ANAX said. Just as he was about to strike, Calvin came down and pounced right on the bugged program.

"Calvin?" Antea asked.

"Sorry I'm late." Calvin said as he got off ANAX and helped Antea up. "You might want to make a shield now."

"Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Calvin said. He then high-jumped into the air as Antea did as she was told and made herself a shield. He then pointed his staff to the ground as he fell down at great speed.

"What is he doing?" Dennis asked from his computer.

Calvin's staff then hit the ground causing a tremendous shockwave that knocked the stunned ANAX back towards the edge of the sector; everyone else who saw the whole thing just stood there with their jaws dropped. When the dust cleared, Calvin saw the program retreat and attempted to pursue him on foot.

"Leave him, Calvin." Antea said. "If we destroy him, we'll never find a way to permanently destroy XANA."

"Just get to the tower." Calvin said as Antea just ran up to the tower and proceeded to deactivate it.

"Now we can launch a Return to the Past and…" Dennis said.

"No!" Calvin said. "What if the return trips are what are causing all those items to be stolen? We can't risk making XANA stronger to find out it was all for naught."

"Calvin's right." Ami said. "We have to leave things as they are."

"Very well." Dennis said as he cancelled the return trip. Antea then finished deactivating the tower and the rest then found themselves back on Earth.

* * *

"Well, that takes care of that." Dennis said. "Let's hope you were right, Calvin."

"Me too." Calvin said.

"Well, our game starts in half an hour. I'll tell Sam to get ready." Dennis said.

"Calvin, you better get back to your room before Jim finds out."

"Right." Calvin said as he and the rest headed back up and back to the school.

* * *

Well, this is my last update before I go off to Colorado. But I'll try to update quite often, even if not as often.

Please Review.


	16. Aftermath

The morning after the XANA attack, Calvin got up to get ready for the next day. He looked towards the adjacent bed in the dorm room to find that Sam was already out of bed. Calvin looked at his alarm clock to see that he had overslept slightly and got ready as quick as possible before heading downstairs. When he got down and got his breakfast, Dennis and Sam just glared at him and then turned back to finish their meal.

"May I ask what's wrong?" Calvin asked.

"They're just upset because Kadic lost last night." Antea said.

"Yeah, why do you think?" Sam asked angrily.

"Oh." Calvin said. "How much did...?"

"10-0 shutout." Dennis interrupted. "In the first half!"

"So why are you angry at me?" Calvin asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam asked. "We lost our two best players because of you!"

"And here. Take a look at this." Dennis said throwing a newspaper down at the table. Calvin then read what it said.

Roman Hospital Burned to Ground.

Hundreds die as arsonists get away with expensive, new lab equipment.

"So XANA's attack was at a hospital." Calvin said unfazed. "How was this my fault?"

"Had we done the Return to the Past like I said we should, we could've saved those people!" Dennis exclaimed. "But, no. You had to suggest that we don't use a return trip."

"In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't have mattered." Calvin said. "XANA would've still gotten what he wanted."

"You were indirectly responsible for the killings of hundreds!" Sam exclaimed.

"What was I supposed to do, make XANA stronger so that the next time he could kill many more people in his next attack?" Calvin exclaimed. "We were damned if we did and damned if we didn't, and you should be thanking me for choosing the option that wouldn't have given him a long-term advantage!"

"I'm afraid he has a point." Ami said. "Haven't you heard the term 'acceptable losses'? Sure, we may have taken the lives of many people, but we did it to keep XANA from getting any more powerful and doing more damage in the future."

"Plus did you even read the rest of the article?" Rumiko said pointing to one sentence of the article. "Look: The fire was eventually put out at 8:07 local time."

"And?" Dennis asked.

"The tower was deactivated at around 8:30. I know this because you said the game last night, which started at 9:00, was in a half an hour. Therefore, whether or not a return trip was activated would have made no difference."

Dennis and Sam said nothing.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves." Antea said. "It's not like he knew what XANA's attack was to begin with, neither of us did."

"If anything it's your fault for not having the computer fixed in time, Dennis." Calvin said.

"Well, it's not I knew what was wrong with it." Dennis said.

"My point exactly." Antea said. "Nobody knew anything, so it's no use to blame each other."

"I'm going to class." Calvin said angrily He then turned to Sam and Dennis. "Some friends you two turned out to be." Calvin just left as the rest just sat there.

"Way to go, Dennis." Sam said sarcastically.

"Like you were picking daisies." Dennis said. "You were pointing fingers as well."

"Yeah, but... Shut up." Sam said having nothing else to say.

* * *

In Mr. Xavier's class, Calvin just continued to focus on his class work and do well on all of today's assignments. Mr. Xavier, however, was still concerned with his pupil due to the tournament and his obvious behavioral changes. When class ended, Mr. Xavier called Calvin over so that he could speak to him.

"Yes?" Calvin asked sitting down near Mr. Xavier's desk.

"I just want to talk to you about last night." Mr. Xavier said.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did." Calvin said annoyed. "Now, can I get to my next class?"

"Calvin, as your mentor, I have every right to know what goes on in your personal life." Mr. Xavier said. "Is everything all right at your other classes?"

"Everything's fine." Calvin said.

"Why _did _you hurt Sven at the tournament last night?" Mr. Xavier asked.

"I don't know." Calvin said. "I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just getting aggravated."

"With what?" Mr. Xavier asked. "I've also gotten reports from your friends and sisters that your behavior outside of class has been changing noticeably."

"Look, can we just stop talking about this?" Calvin asked.

"I'm just concerned about you." Mr. Xavier said. "You're a really good student and a really nice person, I'm just afraid that if you don't talk about things with me, you'll end up going down a path of, well, self-destruction."

"I'm not going to kill myself." Calvin said dryly.

"Then tell me what's bothering you." Mr. Xavier said. Calvin just sighed.

"Nothing." He said. "I'm just a bit stressed is all. School, soccer, all that stuff."

"Okay, that's all I needed to know." Mr. Xavier said. "Remember, you can talk to me about anything, even if it's something personal you can't tell anyone else. Everything you say will be confidential; what happens in this room, stays in this room."

"Okay then." Calvin said.

"I just want you to know that you can trust me with anything." Mr. Xavier said. "I'll write you a pass and let you go now."

"Okay." Calvin said as his teacher wrote down a note excusing Calvin for his tardiness and giving it to him. Calvin then took the note and grabbed his stuff and headed off to his next class.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Carthage, William Jr. was already talking to XANA about the last attack that happened at the hospital.

"I see the raid went off with success." XANA said. "It's only a matter of time before the end comes once and for all."

"Yet they neglected to use a return trip and make you stronger." William Jr. said. "Maybe they're on to us."

"Maybe." XANA said. "But now they know that they can no longer risk the deaths of many others. Eventually they will have to resort to using the return trips again, especially when they have no idea where and when exactly the attacks are taking place."

"True, my master." William Jr. said. "So, where to next?"

"I'm already beginning to look for that." XANA said. "Whatever country in the world has whatever we need is the one we focus on. It won't be long now."

William Jr. just left as XANA continued searching all over the world for his next target.

* * *

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	17. Season Finale

A week had passed. At Kadic Academy, not only had Calvin's punishment expired but Sven-Søren, who was in the infirmary for a week recuperating from his back injury, was now being released. During the lunch hour in the courtyard, everyone was already asking him questions regarding if he was well enough to play in the future or not.

"Sven." Ami asked. "Is your condition good enough that you'll be playing full time?"

"The nurse said I have to take it easy for about another week." Sven-Søren said. "But I'll definitely be playing for part of each game; around when it really counts."

"If we play against Carnot again in the playoffs, will you be there?" Ian asked.

"Don't worry." Sven-Søren said. "I'll make sure the Eagles get what's coming to them and show them what Kadic can really do." As everyone was cheering, Calvin came up to talk to his fellow teammate.

"Hey, Sven?" Calvin asked. Sven-Søren just turned and faced him. "I wanted to apologize for my actions at the tournament and for injuring you and..."

"Get lost, Stern." Ian said. "Sven doesn't want your apology, right Sven?" Sven-Søren just ignored him and shook Calvin's hand.

"All is forgiven." He said. "It was my fault for provoking you, anyway."

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Calvin asked.

"Win the next game, the last one of the season." Sven-Søren said. "If you can get us to the playoffs, you'll be regaining the trust of the rest of the team."

"Will do." Calvin said as he and Sven-Søren walked away from the crowd.

"So what's our current record now, 10-2?"

"10-3." Calvin said.

"What?" Sven-Søren asked. "We lost to another team other than Carnot?"

"They were brutal." Calvin said. "And it didn't help that we had a substitute coach for the second half."

"Oh really?" Sven-Søren asked. "Hey, you're three goals away from breaking your dad's record, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am." Calvin realized. "Most goals in a single regular season."

"I hope you break it this year."

"Probably not." Calvin said. "Three goals is a lot for only one person."

"True." Sven-Søren said. "But I'm sure you can handle it. After all, you are our star player."

* * *

They then went back inside the school and went to resume the rest of their classes. As Calvin took his seat, Sam leaned towards him to talk to him about other things.

"Hey, Cal." He whispered. "Why didn't you show up for lunch today?"

"I did." Calvin said. "I just didn't stay long because I wanted to apologize to Sven for me injuring him."

"Oh okay." Sam said. "And he listened to you?"

"Yeah, he was pretty nice to me about the whole thing." Calvin said.

"So are you ready for the soccer game this afternoon?" Sam asked. "Because I..."

"Mr. Della Robbia!" Mrs. Hertz shouted to Sam. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class that is more important than finding out the atomic mass of the elements?"

"No, but..."

"Then I advise that you leave your classmates alone and get back to work."

"Ma'am, it was my fault." Calvin said. "He was talking to me and I was the one encouraging him to keep talking to me."

"Oh." Mrs. Hertz said. "Well, don't do it again, both of you."

"Yes Ma'am." Both Calvin and Sam said.

"How come she goes so easy on you but always yells at me?" Sam asked.

"Because I'm a better student than you and thus build a better relation with my teachers." Calvin said. "Now keep quiet so that maybe you can build a better relation with her too."

* * *

After class had ended and after a few more hours, Calvin got his soccer gear and headed to the school locker room to get ready for tonight's game. While he was getting his stuff on, he was then approached by Lance.

"Hey Cal." He said. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Um, sure." Calvin said. "What is it that you want to talk about."

"Listen, you're a great player." Lance said. "You've got skill, talent, everything that gives you potential to be the greatest of them all."

"Well thanks, I..."

"But you're also stupid." He said.

"Come again?" Calvin said confused.

"Maybe Sven can't tell that you're jealous of him, but I can." Lance said.

"Jealous?" Calvin said shocked "Because I injured him by accident that makes me jealous?"

"Even before the martial arts tournament, you've been acting hostile towards him." Lance said. "Like during the first day of practice when you kept trying to show him up with all those soccer kicks and those fancy moves. Face it. You're jealous."

"Lance, you don't understand. I..."

"Oh, I understand, alright." Lance said. "Now promise me you'll be more friendly towards him and treat him more like your teammate or I can tell Jim to kick you off the team."

"I promise." Calvin said as Lance walked away. "You know, you show a lot of support towards him for someone who actually hates him."

"I don't hate the person, Calvin. Just the disgusting lifestyle he chose to follow." Lance said. "There's a difference." Calvin just ignored him and headed out with the rest of the team to the field.

* * *

As the game was about to start, the players of both teams took their respective positions on the field. Calvin and the opposing captain faced each other in the middle of the field as the referee blew his whistle, signaling the beginning of the game. As fast as he could, Calvin tried to go for the ball. His opponent's superior speed, however, overwhelmed him and Calvin lost the ball.

The opposing team just kept the ball to themselves trying to get past Kadic's defense. However, Sam ran up to them and stole the ball from them before they could realize it. Sam then ran up to the rest of the team and passed the ball to Sven-Søren who then made a dash towards the goal. Calvin was about to go up and take the ball from him, but Lance ran up to him and shook his head in disapproval. Knowing what he was talking about, Calvin just let Sven-Søren run up to the goal where he made a successful shot giving Kadic an early lead.

The ball was then set back in the middle of the field as the teams lined back up; the ref then blew his whistle. This time, Calvin got the ball and made his way towards the goal. The ball just went back and forth as he kept being blocked with each shot and the ball just kept going back to Kadic. Eventually, a defender from the opposing team was able to take the ball and bring it down the field. He then passed it to another defender who made the team's first goal and tying the game.

"Come on, little brother!" Rumiko shouted. "Show them what you're made of."

After lining up again, the opposing team managed to get the ball on their side and ran as quick as they could to give themselves the lead they needed. As soon as the striker got into position, he kicked the ball towards the opposing goal net. However, the shot was blocked and Kadic regained control of the ball. The ball first went to Owen who, after running down to the other half of the field, passed it to Sven-Søren. However, instead of going for the goal, Sven-Søren passed the ball to Calvin.

"Go for it, Cal!" He shouted. "Give us our victory!"

Calvin nodded as he ran to the goal and kicked towards the left. The goalie tried to reach for it, but it bounced off the end post and into the net giving Kadic the lead 2-1, which it remained until the end of the half.

* * *

The second half started after a half-hour break for halftime with both teams putting up an even fight at first. However, after getting two shots in, the team began slowing down while Kadic kept racking up points to eventually lead 5-3 in the final seconds. And although the team won in the end, Calvin failed to break his father's record, although he did tie. (A/N: For a slightly more detailed version of the ending, read Chapter 7 of my other story, '100 Days').

The team celebrated as they headed back to the locker room, they had won the final game of the season and were a shoo-in to make the playoffs. The rest of the team went up to Calvin, who had missed arguably the most important goal of his life so far.

"Hey, Calvin." Lance said. "Tough luck about not breaking the record."

"Eh, it's okay." Calvin said. "The important thing is that we won, right?"

"True." Sam said. Just then, Jim came into the locker room. Obviously with something to tell the team.

* * *

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	18. The Luncheon and the New Rival

"Alright, team." Jim said. "I have something to tell you all."

"Yes, Coach?" Sam asked.

"As it turns out, one of the directors of the athletic association was here to watch the game and he saw our victory."

"And?" Calvin asked.

"We made the playoffs." Jim said. "#2 seed in the region." The entire team just cheered when they heard this.

"Wait there's more." Jim said. "As one of the top four teams in the nation, the association has invited us to a private luncheon here at Kadic with the other top teams: Henri-IV, Lakanal, and Carnot." The team cheered again.

"The luncheon is tomorrow evening and the first game is in one week." Jim said. "Diderot will be our first opponent. But now, you can all just head home and have a nice weekend. You deserve it."

The team then headed out of the locker room and prepared to catch their rides home. Calvin was about to head out when Jim caught up to him.

"By the way, Calvin. I want you to take this home with you." Jim said handing him a magazine; it was a magazine about current middle-high school sports. "A present from the association. Page 45. You might find something you'll really like."

"Thanks. I'll look at it when I get home." Calvin said. "By the way, when should we be facing Carnot?"

"If we do end up facing Carnot, it won't be until the semi-finals, which is two weeks away." Jim said. "Right now, just focus on who you'll be facing next week. Focus on Carnot when we face Carnot."

"Yessir." Calvin said as he headed outside to meet up with his family.

* * *

A short time later, Calvin and his sisters were waiting for their parents by the front gate. Within minutes, their parents came and the siblings got into the car with them. On the way home, Rumiko noticed the magazine in Calvin's hand.

"What's that?" She asked him.

"This?" Calvin said. "Jim gave it to me. He said that I might find something interesting on page 45."

"Lemme see." Rumiko said as Calvin gave her the magazine. Rumiko then turned to page 45 and looked inside. Her eyes then widened.

"Oh...my God." She said.

"What?" Calvin asked.

"Look at the page. It's a list of the top ten middle-high school strikers in the nation." Calvin then took the magazine from her hands and looked at the list. As he browsed through it, he got a surprised look on his face upon seeing the name on the #2 position."

"I'm on the list." Calvin said quietly.

"What was that?" Ulrich asked turning around.

"Look at the #2 position on this list." Rumiko said as Calvin handed his father the magazine.

"'#2: Stern, Calvin. Kadic Academy.'" Ulrich read out loud. "I don't believe it."

"Yep." Calvin said giving a small smile.

"Calvin, I'm so proud of you." Ulrich said happily. "Yumi, take a look at this."

Yumi then looked at where Ulrich was pointing and gasped in surprise.

"Number two in the nation?" Yumi asked excitedly. "Our little boy?"

"That's right." Ulrich said.

"Calvin, that is amazing!" Yumi practically shouted. "You must be so proud."

"I am." Calvin said. "The team made the playoffs too. And we got invited to a luncheon with the other top four teams tomorrow evening."

"That is just wonderful." Yumi said. "You really deserved it. You really gave it your best today, too."

"Well, except for breaking my..." Ulrich said.

"Ulrich!" Yumi interrupted.

"I'm just teasing." Ulrich said defensively. "He knows that.

"Who's number one?" Ami then asked.

"Hold on I'll check." Ulrich said reading through the list. "Some kid named Dean Bouchard apparently."

"Oh, well that figures." Rumiko said.

"Who's Dean Bouchard?" Calvin asked.

"That's right. You weren't there." Rumiko said. "He's the captain of Carnot's team."

"Oh. Tough competition then." Calvin said.

"Very." Rumiko said.

"Well, to celebrate these events, we're going to take you all out for dinner." Yumi said. "How does that sound?"

"YAY!" The three siblings cheered as they then headed to a nice restaurant downtown. The rest of the evening went by pretty uneventfully as the family then went home and Calvin got ready for tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Calvin then got up and got ready for the team luncheon. His parents then drove him to the Academy where the rest of the team was.

"Alright Calvin." Yumi said. "Give me a hug before you leave."

"Mom. Not in front of everyone else." Calvin said embarrassed.

"Calvin." Yumi said threateningly.

"Okay." Calvin said giving his mother a quick hug before heading off to the station.

"Call us when you guys are done." Yumi said.

"Okay, Mom." Calvin said as he ran out to the front of the school where he was greeted by Jim and the rest of the team. They then headed into the gymnasium where the luncheon was being held.

"Man, all this good food and I only have 10 euros with me." Sam said as he saw the buffets of food.

"It's all free, Sam." Calvin said. As soon as he heard that, Sam just rushed over to the nearest line and grabbed everything food related that he could find. The other teams just stared at Calvin.

"I swear. I never seen him before in my life!" He shouted to them.

"Well, if it isn't the new champs." Said a voice from behind them. They then turned around to find a boy with bleached hair wearing a Hawaiian shirt, capris, and sunglasses. Sven-Søren was the only one who recognized him.

"Antoine." He said as the two kissed. "Long time no see."

"Okay, do you just take pleasure in dressing up as different stereotypes, or do you have some mental problem?" Dennis quipped.

"Okay. That's just cold." Antoine said.

"How did you even get here? This luncheon is for the top four teams and Lincoln even failed to qualify this year."

"Same way I do with everything: Charm." Antoine said. "That and bribery."

"I see." Dennis said.

"I'm looking for Dean Bouchard." Calvin said out of nowhere. Antoine just chuckled a bit.

"Dude. You don't meet Dean Bouchard. Dean Bouchard meets _you_." Antoine said. "Nah, just kidding. He's at the table at the far end. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Antoine then led then to the table.

"Right there." Antoine said pointing to one of the kids. Calvin then went up to a really tall, burly kid.

"Dean Bouchard?" Calvin asked.

"Um... what?" The kid said.

"My name's Calvin Stern, captain of the Kadic soccer team, and I..."

"Uh, dude." Antoine said. "That's not Dean Bouchard."

"He isn't?" Calvin asked.

"_That's _Dean Bouchard." Antoine said pointing again. CAlvin looked to where he was pointing and couldn't believe what he was seeing: A messy haired, scrawny kid who couldn't have looked any older than his younger sister.

"You're kidding me, right?" Calvin asked. "That's Dean Bouchard?"

"Yeah, you have a problem with that?" Dean said overhearing the conversation. He then got up and met Calvin face to face, which was awkward being that he was a head shorter than Calvin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect." Calvin said. "It's just that..."

"...you aren't used to seeing a shrimp play soccer so well." Dean finished for him.

"Well, yes." Calvin said. "My name's..."

"Yeah. I know who you are." Dean said. He then smiled. "You're Calvin Stern, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." Calvin said.

"Man, I'm like your biggest fan!" Dean said excitedly. "It'll be such an honor playing against you in the semifinals."

"I'm glad to hear that." Calvin said.

"Can I get an autograph?" He said giving Calvin a Kadic soccer pennant and a Sharpie.

"Well, anything for a fan." Calvin said taking the marker and signing the pennant. "So who am I making this out to?"

"Just Dean Bouchard will be fine." Dean said. Calvin then finished and gave both items back. "Thanks so much."

"No problem." Calvin said. "I hope to see you at the semifinals."

"Oh, you'll be seeing plenty of me." Dean said. "As I outscore you guys with me making the goals like last time."

"Okay..." Calvin said.

"And when I hoist up the national championship trophy and get my picture in the paper."

"Well, you certainly have a lot of spirit. I'm gonna hang out with the rest of my team now." Calvin said.

"Okay." Dean said. "Good luck against Diderot. You're definitely gonna need it."

"Okay." Calvin said. He then turned around and headed off.

"He is so getting beat in two weeks." Calvin said to himself as he sat down with the rest of his team.

"Hey Cal." Sam said with a more than full plate on his table. "You didn't get anything?"

"I'm not all that hungry, right now." Calvin said.

"Well, suit yourself." Sam said while chewing on a large sandwich. Just then Dennis came running up to them.

"Guys, I just got an alert." He said. "XANA's on the attack."

* * *

Alright, something you guys should know. I'm going to California tomorrow and won't have access to any work on my stories. So I threw out this update a bit early to tell you guys. I'll be gone no longer than a week, but then I'll have driver's ed after that so my weekend may still be a bit busy. But I'll try to update as often as I can when I get home from Cali.

Please Review.


	19. The Attack in Japan

Somewhere in Japan, a gang of criminals was sitting at a long, rectangular table inside a large mansion. At the end of the table was a very old man covered from the neck down in tattoos: Their leader. This was the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest family of the Yakuza, the crime syndicate of Japan. They were already discussing another one of their acts when the front door broke open revealing a mysterious stranger they had never encountered before: William Jr.

"So, you must be the Yamaguchi-gumi family." He said to them. "Am I right?"

"Who wants to know?" Their leader asked.

"The only true ruler of this waste of a planet: XANA." William Jr. said. "I come with a plan of his that will benefit us all: XANA plans to take out the rest of humanity within months, so far he is succeeding. My master entrusted me to unite the crime factions of the world to join me to accomplish his goal. If you join us, your family will be spared."

"Well, you've come to the wrong place, then." The crime lord said. "The Yamaguchi-gumi has always been, and will remain, loyal to her Motherland. We will never associate ourselves to the likes of you. Like our ancestors, we would sooner die than surrender ourselves to you."

"I don't think you understood me." William Jr. said angrily. "I wasn't asking. Either you join me, or I'll kill every single person in this room." The crime lord just gave a quick smirk.

"Kobayashi." He said turning to his lieutenant. "Dispatch of this fool."

Kobayashi then charged towards William Jr. with a small knife in his hand. William Jr. just disarmed him, grabbed his neck and legs and held him sideways. He then thrusted his knee into his victim's back while bending both sides of him down (A/N: Like when you snap a twig in half), breaking his spine and killing him.

"Anyone else?" William Jr. said throwing the corpse to the ground.

"Get him!" The leader shouted as half of the gang ran up to him, armed with weapons. William Jr. just stood his ground and shot a series of spectres from his hands towards his victims. The spectres made their way inside them, causing them to die in different ways from being strangled to impalement and even exploding.

"My turn." William Jr. said as his thugs then stormed the mansion and killed every single other gang member. "Keep some of them alive. That way I have some to rule over."

As the bloody massacre took place, William Jr. just walked across the table towards the leader as blood and dismembered body parts came flying towards him. He then picked up the helpless crime lord from his chair and held him in the air.

"And like your ancestors, they would all kill themselves in gruesome manners to avoid the humiliation of defeat and surrender." William Jr. said. He then summoned his punching dagger out of thin air. "But I'll spare you the labor and perform the ritual myself."

William Jr. then cut his stomach open with the dagger and proceeded to disembowel him. Afterwards, he decapitated his victim and set the head on the table. The remaining gang members on both sides turned around and saw William Jr.'s trophy sitting on the table and William Jr. sitting in the crime lord's seat. The remaining Yamaguchi-gumi members were in shock; they dropped their weapons and kneeled before their new leader.

"Now let's try this again." William Jr. said grinning evilly.

* * *

Back at the school, Calvin and Sam had just heard about the attack and were already about to come up with an excuse to Jim before leaving.

"Excuse me, Sir." Calvin said. Jim then turned to face them. "Something just came up, so me, Dennis, and Sam have to leave early. Is that okay?"

"That's just fine." Jim said. "What came up?"

"Ummm... stuff." Sam said.

"Yeah, but..." Jim said.

"Oh, would you look at the time, we'd better get going." Dennis interrupted as the three headed out of the school and made their way to the factory.

"I'll give Antea a call telling her to meet us." Dennis said. "You just continue to make your way."

"Alright." Calvin said as he and Sam headed down the sewers and continued down their path. Within a short time, Antea and Dennis came by to the factory and met up with the other two.

"Alright." Dennis said. "The tower should be in the Ice Sector. I'm sending all three of you at once."

"Got it." The three of them said as they headed into the scanner room. Dennis began the procedure as the trio stepped inside.

"Transfer Calvin. Scanner Calvin."

"Transfer Sam. Scanner Sam."

"Transfer Antea. Scanner Antea."

"Virtualization."

Within seconds, Calvin, Sam, and Antea found themselves on the Ice Sector and proceeded to find the tower.

"Any idea where we should be looking?" Sam asked.

"Give me a minute." Dennis said. A few seconds later, he pinpointed the exact location. "Alright guys. The tower should be 30 degrees north by northwest. But be careful."

"Roger." Sam said as they ran off in the direction of the tower. Just then, Calvin saw something in the distance.

"Heads up, guys." He said. "We've got company."

Indeed they did. For heading their way were two Megatanks, three Bloks, three Hornets, ten Kankrelats, William Jr., and his Tarantula.

"Try to get as close to the tower as you can." Calvin said drawing his staff. "We'll take care of these guys."

Antea nodded as she headed off. However, as she tried to flee, a Blok shot an ice beam at her foot rendering her virtually immobile. Sam just glared at Calvin.

"Okay. Not one of my best ideas." Calvin said. "Come on. We have to protect Antea."

As the group of monsters headed towards her, Calvin made a high jump in the air and took out the two Bloks. However, he was shot by a Hornet before he could attack again.

"My turn." Sam said as he shot a laser arrow as the first Hornet, hitting it and destroying it.

"How did you get those?" Calvin asked.

"The arrows?" Sam asked. "Dennis gave them to me. He said I gained enough experience to use them now."

"No, really." Calvin said dryly. "How did you get them?"

"I'm serious." Sam said. "Cal. Look out!" Calvin turned around to see a Megatank firing it's laser at him. Sam just pushed him out of the way, causing Sam to take the hit. He was then devirtualized and found himself back on Earth seconds later.

Calvin then got back up and threw his staff at the Megatank just as it was about to close; it was then destroyed.

"Alright." Calvin said. "Now to get Antea." Calvin then swung his staff at the ice around Antea's foot causing her to be freed.

"Thanks for that." Antea said.

"No problem." Calvin said before he was shot at twice by the remaining Hornet. He then jumped down just before he was shot again. Antea then fired an energy field at the Hornet destroying it. Coming towards them were the Megatank and the ten Kankrelats, which were in a triangle formation far behind it.

"Hold on, Cal." Antea said. "I always wanted to try this." She then extended her arm and took control of the Megatank. She then flung it back so that it hit the triangle of Kankrelats, sending all eleven monsters into the Digital Sea or being flattened.

"Strike!" Antea said (A/N: Admit it. You saw that coming).

"Alright, Willy." Calvin said to William Jr. "Just you and me, now."

Antea then shot a energy field at the Tarantula while William Jr. jumped off, destroying it. He then came face to face with Calvin and swung his punching dagger; Calvin just blocked the attack. William Jr. kept attacking and swinging, but Calvin just held him back as long as he could.

As the fighting went on, Antea got herself a clear shot of her target and fired towards William Jr. causing his weapon to fly out of his hands into the air. While William Jr. was still stunned, Calvin saw the perfect opportunity to finish him off and jabbed his staff inside William Jr. causing him to vanish in a cloud of smoke.

"Yes!" Calvin said holding his staff up high as the punching dagger came back down and stabbed Calvin in the head, devirtualizing him, just before the weapon itself disappeared.

"Well, that was pathetic." Antea said. She then continued down her path and eventually came up to the tower and went to deactivate it. Dennis then started the return trip procedure.

"Sorry, Cal. We can't take any more risks." He said to himself. He then pressed the button. "Return to the past, now."

* * *

Well, back from Cali and I have one more weekend of driver's ed until I'm done for good. But I'll still try to update as often as I can before then. I'll also fit in an update for 100 Days tomorrow as well as the next chapter of Race for Control, so keep an eye out.

Please Review.


	20. Metamorphosis

The next day, Calvin and Sam woke up to another morning of school. Sam was already up getting ready to hit the showers, but Calvin was still in bed, fast asleep. Like any good friend, Sam decided that it would be a good idea to wake up his friend.

"Rise and shine, buddy." Sam said shaking him rapidly. Calvin then got up.

"What is it?" Calvin said drowsily.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but we have classes today." Sam said. "This is late even for you."

"What do you mean? My alarm clock didn't even..." He then turned to see that he forgot to turn his alarm on last night. "Well, that figures." Calvin then got up slowly but surely.

"Uggh." He said. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"I didn't know you were one to use hyper-bowl." Sam said.

"_Hyperbole._" Calvin corrected. "Anyways, let's get going."

They then headed to the boys' showers at the end of the hallway. Calvin stopped for a minute while Sam kept going. Sam then turned around.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" Sam asked.

"I just forgot something." Calvin said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Sam said as he headed into the showers. When he was sure that nobody was looking, Calvin headed down the hallway and down to the girls dorms. He kept going until he reached his sisters' dorm room (A/N: Yes. Ami and Rumiko share the same dorm room as well).

* * *

Minutes later, Sam headed down to the cafeteria and met up with the rest of his friends at their usual table.

"Hey, guys." Sam said.

"Calvin isn't with you?" Rumiko asked.

"No." Sam said. "I mean, he was before. But then he said that he needed to grab something."

"What did he need?" Antea asked.

"I don't know." Sam said. "He didn't tell me."

"Well, wherever he went, he's probably on his way down by now." Ami asked.

Just then, Calvin came into the cafeteria and met up with his friends.

"Hey, Cal. What took yo...waaagh." Rumiko practically screamed. She almost fell out of her seat as she took a look at her brother. Calvin's hair was not only cut and combed to one side, but it was also dyed a dark shade of black.

"'Sup, y'all." He said cheerfully.

"Calvin, is that you?" Antea asked.

"What the hell happened to your hair?" Sam asked.

"I got it done just today. By myself." He said. "Is that a crime?"

"Why are you talking like that?" Dennis asked.

"Since _when _do you talk like that?" Ami asked.

"Since today, lil sis." Calvin said. "Woke up a brand new me and decided to change my style around a bit."

"Thirty minutes ago, you were complaining about how drowsy you were." Sam said. "Just now, you're this wannabe punk guy?"

"Better than being a wannabe redneck." Calvin said smirking.

"Oh, you did _not_ just say that!" Sam exclaimed.

"Besides, the cold showers were able to freshen me up just right." Calvin said

"But you hate cold showers." Rumiko said.

"Even in the hottest of summer days, you'll shower at like 40 degrees." Ami said.

"Didn't I not just tell you that I had a change of preference?" Calvin asked.

"You said you had a change of _style_." Dennis said. "Big difference."

"A bad change at that." Sven-Søren said. "You look like that nerd from the third _Spider-Man _film. In the first series."

"Shut up." Calvin said. "I like it and that's what matters."

"Whatever you say."

"Now if you excuse me, I have a science test to prepare for." Calvin said leaving the room.

"First hour's history, genius!" Sam shouted towards him.

* * *

Hours later, Calvin and Sam were already heading off to their science class to begin their chemistry test. Calvin, like usual, finished his test a long time before everyone else while Sam was still struggling with his. Around an hour later, Ms. Hertz had taken back the tests and finished grading them; she then began passing them back.

"Calvin Stern." She called as she handed him his test. "Congratulations. Once again, you got the highest grade. A+."

"Thank you." Calvin said as he gave a quick smirk to his other classmates.

"Sam Della Robbia!" She shouted as Sam woke up from another one of his naps.

"Oh. Did I win?" Sam asked.

"I'll give you a hint: Radioactivity was _not_ discovered by Craft Work in Loompaland. F."

"Actually, it's pronounced _Kraftwerk_." Sam corrected her.

"I don't care." Ms. Hertz said. "You're still a lazy good-for-nothing. Just like your father."

"Oh, like your one to speak." Calvin spoke up. Ms. Hertz then turned around.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stern?" She asked. "I happen to not be a good-for-nothing."

"I didn't say that." Calvin said. "What I meant was that the only thing worse than a lazy student is a teacher who pretends to care for all her students."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, Ma'am, I think Sam's one of the biggest dumbasses I've met. But I can at least tolerate him." Calvin said with his voice getting slightly louder. "Unlike you, who makes a living lambasting every student who you personally believe will never amount to anything, and you know what? Most of them don't. But only because you sound so convincing when you tell them that."

"Well, I..."

"Calvin, I'm flattered you would do this for me. But getting a bad grade isn't worth insulting the teacher over."

"But there are exceptions, like my father." Calvin said. "He always told me he got such bad grades and you never wanted to help him, well guess what? He makes more money in one week then you'll ever make in your lifetime. And your oh so special Jeremie? Dead and gone while my father's legacy still literately lives on."

"Calvin Stern." Ms. Hertz said gritting her teeth. "If you don't stop this instant, I'll send you to the principal's office."

"Fine, go ahead. It'll just prove to me that you're afraid to admit you're wrong." Calvin said. "Are you happy teaching students you find unworthy of your time? Because you're pathetic!"

Just then, Jim, who had heard the whole thing, burst inside the room and dragged Calvin by his arm. The rest of the class was a mix of applause and whistling to shouts of detest.

"Alright, Cal!" One student shouted.

"Get out of here, Stern!" Another shouted. "Who do you think you are?"

"Let's go, Stern!" Jim said still dragging him out while Ms. Hertz was still fuming. A quick phone call later and Calvin's parents came to give him the scolding of a lifetime.

* * *

"Do you want to throw away your education? Because that's basically the path you're going down with that attitude!" Yumi shouted while standing in front of him while Calvin was just sitting down.

"No, I just..."

"I don't care what it was! It certainly wasn't worth getting a one-week suspension over!" Yumi shouted. "What were you thinking! You're smarter than that!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Now you're sorry?" Yumi shouted some more. "Why not tell that to your teacher who you humiliated in front of her class!"

"Why?" Calvin asked in a smart alec tone. "Like it'll make a difference."

"Don't you _dare_ smart-ass me, Calvin Ulrich Stern!" Yumi shouted even louder. "I'm your mother and you'll treat me as such!"

"Until your suspension's over, no TV, no Facebook, no phone privileges, and no music!" Ulrich shouted. "And if I ever hear you talk to your mother like that again, I'll make sure your punishment will be even worse! Got it?"

Calvin nodded.

"Good." Ulrich said still angry. "Now get in the car!"

Calvin then headed out down to the hallway to the front door.

"Hey, Calvin." Calvin turned around to see Mr. Xavier standing next to him.

"I heard what you said to Ms. Hertz." He said. "I must say, she seemed pretty upset about the whole thing."

"She deserved it." Calvin said. "She had no right to talk that way about my family _and_ my best friend."

"Maybe so." Mr. Xavier said. "It's still no excuse, though. You had no right to be that hard on her."

"You know I don't tolerate lackadaisical attitudes." Calvin said iterating what Mr. Xavier had said in a previous conversation.

"And yet you tolerate Sam." Mr. Xavier said. "You think about it."

"Let's go, Calvin!" Calvin heard his mother shout. Calvin then grabbed his stuff and headed out the door. He then got inside the car as his parents drove off.

"Hey, guys." Calvin asked. "When you said 'No Facebook', does that also mean...?" The two parents then turned around and glared at him.

"Of course." Calvin said quietly as they drove back home.

* * *

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	21. Trapped

Right after the science class incident, and after Calvin was sent home, school had gotten out and Sam met with his friends and told them about what happened.

"He what?" Rumiko almost exclaimed.

"My teacher gave me a bad grade so Calvin smart-mouthed her and he ended up getting suspended." Sam said.

"Wow." Dennis said surprised.

"I know. You should have seen it. It was cool." Sam said.

"No. It's not cool." Antea said. "How long was he suspended for?"

"Like a week."

"Great." Dennis said sarcastically. "One whole week with one less Lyoko Warrior. Who knows what XANA will do now?"

"I bet you even encouraged him to do this, Sam." Ami said.

"What? No." Sam said. "In fact, I told him not to."

"Really." Ami said seriously.

"I just can't believe my brother would do this." Rumiko said.

"Well, look on the bright side." Sam said.

"What's the bright side?" Rumiko asked.

"At least he'll be back by the time the play-offs kick off."

"No, he won't." Dennis said. Sam then began counting on his fingers.

"Oh wait, you're right." Sam said. "That arrogant punk!"

"Look, we're gonna be cool as long as XANA doesn't try to overwhelm us."

"Well even without Cal, it's still five of us." Antea said. "What could happen?"

* * *

Meanwhile in Japan, a top secret project was going on in an underground laboratory regarding new genetic research: The scientists were trying to figure out ways to speed up the process of immunization and other cellular behavior. They were beginning to make a breakthrough until the door burst open revealing William Jr., the Yamaguchi-gumi, and members of his previous crime syndicates.

"Seize the place." William Jr. said. "Nobody leaves until I get what I came here for."

Alarms sounded as the scientists ran for cover. Security came and began firing at the gang members.

"So that's how they want it to go down." William Jr. said to himself. He then turned to his minions. "Alright, men. Open fire!"

* * *

Back at Kadic, Dennis heard his phone go off and looked to see that XANA was on the offence.

"Looks like I spoke too soon." Dennis said. "We'd better get to the factory, now."

The five then headed out of the school and made their way to the park. As they began to climb into the sewers, Dennis pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Antea asked.

"Seeing if Calvin can sneak out and letting Sven know." Dennis said as he dialed Calvin's number.

Back at the Stern household, Calvin heard his phone go off in one of the kitchen cabinets. He then climbed up on top of the counter, picked the lock on the cabinet and answered his phone. Unfortunately, Ulrich had heard the whole thing from upstairs.

"He didn't." He said through gritted teeth. He then ran downstairs.

"Ulrich, where are you going?" Yumi asked.

"I'm going to kill him." Ulrich said still heading down.

"Hello?" Calvin asked. "Really? Yes, I'll be right..." Calvin then felt his father's hand pull the phone away from him. Calvin then turned around and faced him as Ulrich hung up the phone.

"Oh, hi Dad." Calvin said.

"'Oh, hi' nothing." Ulrich said angrily. "You're already grounded for disobeying the school rules, but I guess you can't obey _our_ rules either. No phone privileges!"

"But Dad, XANA's..."

"I don't care if your mother's in the hospital, you still broke a rule." Ulrich said. "Now go to your room."

"But I..."

"Now!"

With no other choice, Calvin just headed upstairs and sat in his room.

* * *

"Hello? Hello?" Dennis said through the phone.

"What happened?" Antea asked.

"We must've dropped the signal." Dennis said. "No matter. I'll give Sven a call, you just head to the factory with the rest."

"Got it." Antea said as she proceeded through the sewers and reached the factory with the rest.

"What took you?" Ami asked.

"Just seeing if Calvin could make it."

"Could he?" Rumiko asked.

"I'm afraid not." Antea said. "Dennis is up waiting for Sven to come."

"Well, while you're waiting, maybe you could send us." Ami said.

"I can try. I did read my father's notes about it." Antea said.

"So do it." Sam said. "We probably don't have much time as it is."

"Okay, just get to the scanners." The three others headed down Antea set up the procedure.

"Okay. I'm sending you to the forest sector." Antea said. "That's where the tower should be."

"You can do this, Antea. You can do this." She said to herself. She then began the procedure.

"Transfer Ami. Transfer Rumiko. Transfer Sam."

"Scanner Ami. Scanner Rumiko. Scanner Sam."

"Virtualization."

Antea's heart was racing as she saw her friends being virtualized on the screen under her command. As soon as she was sure that all of them were on Lyoko, she picked up the headset and spoke to them.

"Can you guys here me? Are you all right?" She asked.

"Aggh! You turned me into a garden gnome!" Sam shouted.

"What?" Antea exclaimed.

"Just kidding." Sam said.

"Don't worry. We all made it in one piece." Rumiko said.

"Phew." Antea said. Just then, Dennis came down with Sven-Søren and the made their way to the computer.

"Sorry it took so long." Dennis said as he took over.

"Never leave me with the computer again." Antea said.

"You sent them down already?" Dennis asked. Antea just nodded.

"Good for you." He said. "You catch on quickly. Now should I send you down?"

"Not yet." Antea said. "I wanna see what XANA's got up his sleeve before rushing into things."

"Agreed." Sven-Søren said. "Better safe than sorry."

* * *

Back on Lyoko, the trio was already making their way through the forest sector and to the tower. Within a few minutes, they were able to catch up to the tower.

"Wow, that was easy." Sam said. "And no monsters to stop us."

"Almost too easy." Ami said.

"Hey Dennis. We already found the tower."

"Already?" Dennis asked. "Okay, I guess I'll send Antea over to you."

"Wait, Dennis, it could be a trap." Sven-Søren said.

"The scanner's not picking up any other activated towers." Dennis said. "Best to send Antea."

"Got it." Antea said as she headed to the scanner room. Dennis then began the procedure and within a short time, she found herself virtualized in front of the tower.

"Alright, you're here." Ami said. "Now deactivate that tower so we can go home."

Antea then ran inside the tower. After advancing to the second floor, she began the procedure and deactivated the tower.

"Well, that was quick." Dennis said. Just then, an alarm on his screen went off. "Wait a minute. Antea, get out of there, now!"

Antea then felt the ground begin to shake as the tower disappeared from around her and she fell to the ground.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"The tower was a trap!" Dennis said. "XANA's taking you guys with the sector."

"'With the sector'?" Antea asked.

"Um... guys?" Rumiko said pointing behind them. They then turned around to see the ground behind them collapse.

"Run!" Ami said as they ran as fast as they could.

To be continued...

* * *

Well, I'm starting volunteer work from tomorrow until the 15th. I don't know when exactly my hours are, but I'll still try to update whenever I can during that time.

Please Review.


	22. Unlucky Encounter

As the Lyoko Warriors continued to run from the trap that they had sprung, Dennis kept looking on his screen to see if he could find anything he miss. After a minute of searching, he noticed something.

"Alright guys." Dennis said. "Good news and bad news."

"Start with the good." Rumiko said as they continued to run away from the collapsing ground.

"Good news is that I managed to find the real tower." Dennis said. "I couldn't find it earlier because it's in a different sector."

"Is that the bad news?" Sam asked.

"Part of it." Dennis said. "The other part is that it's in Sector 5, XANA's domain."

"So?" Sam asked. "Just send us and get it over with."

"I can't just send you; the sector's falling too fast. If you stop long enough, you'll fall into the Digital Sea."

"So what can we do?" Antea asked.

"I've been digging through Jeremie's notes and found something called a Transport Orb." Dennis said. "He must've used it before he discovered the Sector 5 virtulization procedure."

"So how does it work?"

"It only appears at the edge of the sector." Dennis said. "Once you're in close vicinity, I'll summon the orb."

"Roger." Sam said as they continued towards the edge. Just then, out of nowhere, a swarm of Hornets appeared and pursued them from in front and behind, firing their lasers from behind and spraying acid from in front.

"There's no time." Rumiko said. "If we stop and fight, we'll risk losing our ground, literately. We'll have to rush them."

The team just ran right through the monsters as fast as they could. Eventually, they could see the edge of the sector straight ahead.

"Alright, Dennis." Sam said. "You might want to send that orb thing now."

"On it." Dennis said as he started up the program and entered the password. "Password: SCIPIO."

Just then, a white orb with a blue Eye of XANA appeared and enveloped the four warriors just as the last of the sector crumbled away and fell into the Digital Sea below.

"Phew." Dennis said relieved. "Alright, Sven, get to the scanners. I need you to help them out in case of other tricks XANA has up his sleeves."

Sven-Søren just nodded as he took the elevator down to the scanners. Dennis then got the procedure ready and sent him to Sector 5 with the others.

* * *

In Sector 5, the other four appeared right in the center. Immediately after, Sven-Søren appeared next to them.

"Glad to see you." Ami said.

"Pleasure's all mine." Sven-Søren said. They then proceeded down the vast labyrinth of the sector.

"Be careful, guys." Dennis said. "I'm not seeing any monsters nearby."

"So why should we be careful?" Sam asked dryly.

"It seems too easy." Dennis said. "XANA's sure to have another trap waiting for you. So keep on your toes."

"Will do." Rumiko said drawing her weapons and doing quick scans of the area. Sam then gestured towards a nearby pathway.

"Over here." He said. "I think I see something."

True to his instinct, Sam managed to lead them along the right path until they came up to the tower.

"Wow, you were right, Sam." Rumiko said.

"Sam was right?" Ami asked in disbelief.

"Wow." Sam said. "Who would've guessed?"

"This is still too easy." Dennis said.

"Well, we're already here." Antea said. "What's to stop me from just going inside and deactivating the thing?"

Just as she was about to walk inside, a pair of spectres came out of the floor and wrapped around her wrists and pinned her to the ground. William Jr. then came out riding a Manta.

"Maybe myself." He said answering Antea's rhetorical question.

"Willy." Ami said.

"The one and only." He said approaching them. He then motioned to the sides of the corridor, causing the walls to fall and seal them in. "Now your only way out is through the tower. These restraints will hold Antea down as long as I'm still standing."

"Okay." Sam said. "And what makes you think you stand a better chance of facing us as the previous times." William Jr. just smirked.

"I brought backup." He said. Another spectre them flew down and faced them. After a good look, they saw that the spectre had one half looking like XANA when he was still the Anthony Schaeffer copy and the other half looking more faded and misshapen.

"XANA." Rumiko said.

"I've been waiting for you." He said.

"Took you long enough." Sam said.

"Sorry." He said. "The last attempt on my life left me too weak to intervene. Luckily, I was able to regain a good portion of my strength back; enough to finish you."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sven-Søren asked. XANA then drew his sword and charged towards him.

"Sven, look out!" Rumiko said pushing him out of the way causing XANA to miss.

"Why did you do that? I had him." Sven-Søren said.

"If he devirtualizes you with his sword, it's all over." Ami said. "It almost happened to Calvin during their first fight."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sven-Søren said dashing off. "I'll take care of XANA, you guys stop William Jr."

Meanwhile, William Jr. was already approaching Antea as she was still immobile.

"Now to make sure they never escape." William Jr. said pulling out his weapon. He was about to strike until he felt something knock him back. He looked around but saw nothing. He continued to be attacked by the invisible force until he shot a blast of lightning, freeing him. He looked and saw Rumiko lying on the ground as her invisibility wore off.

"H…How did you do that?" She asked.

"XANA taught me a lot." He said. "More than your precious mother could ever teach you."

* * *

Back on the other side of the corridor, Sven-Søren was already in battle with XANA, he kept swinging his axe, but XANA intercepted every move he had. As XANA had him pinned to a wall, he was about to strike. However, he saw something that caught his eye and disappeared.

"Don't think you're so lucky." He said as he vanished.

"What was that all about?" Sven-Søren asked confused. He then turned around and saw a familiar face standing on a nearby column.

"ANAX." He said. "Look out!"

ANAX then jumped down from the column and ran toward the fleeing warrior. While William Jr. was distracted by this, Rumiko saw her chance and knocked him back many feet with a single roundhouse kick. ANAX went over to him and stabbed him with his sword, devirtualizing him.

Antea then saw that the specters around her wrists disappeared and she made a run for the tower.

"Hurry, Antea." Rumiko said. "I don't know how much longer we can hold up."

* * *

Back in Japan, William Jr. had already left the lab a mess. Bodies and broken machinery were strewn everywhere. He and the Yamaguchi-gumi just grabbed what they needed and left.

"Thanks for everything." He said as he took the elevator back up to the surface.

* * *

On Lyoko, Antea deactivated the tower and Dennis started the return trip.

"Return to the Past, Now."

* * *

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates; I've been so busy with other stuff. But at least I'm back home from Colorado, even though that's been the case for more than a week. Well, hopefully I can update a bit faster next time.

Please Review.


	23. Let the Games Begin

Back in the factory, the gang was already discussing the aftermath of their situation.

"Well, that was certainly a close call." Dennis said.

"Agreed." Rumiko said. "If it weren't for ANAX stepping in, we probably would've been killed."

"But we didn't." Sam said. "And now we stopped XANA from achieving another phase in his plan."

"I'm not so sure." Sven-Søren said.

"What do you mean?" Ami asked.

"I mean that every time we try to stop XANA, he still manages to get the upper hand." He said.

"That's right." Sam said. "Like at the museum where the uranium he tried to steal just disappeared after the return trip."

"And the stolen lab equipment." Rumiko said.

"And as certain as I am that we'll beat Diderot in five days, XANA already found a way to win this round once again."

"Well, if only I knew where XANA was as he was launching his attack." Dennis said. "Problem is that the program that doesn't just isn't working and I don't know why."

"Well, let's just go back and pray that nothing too bad happened during the attack." Antea said.

"Agreed." Ami said. "Learn from the past, plan for the future."

With that they headed back to the school, hoping to go through the rest of the week uneventfully.

* * *

Time flew by and eventually the day of the first game of the play-offs came. At the Stern residence, Calvin was already in his room moping about how he won't be able to play in tonight's game. Just then, he heard his mother calling.

"Calvin, come downstairs. We want to talk to you." Yumi said.

"Not now, Mom." Calvin said.

"No really." She said. "We have something to tell you."

"Fine." Calvin sighed as he went downstairs. He then saw his parents sitting on the couch.

"Have a seat." Ulrich said motioning towards the adjacent chair. Calvin then sat down.

"Your mother and I were thinking and we thought that you've been on really good behavior since your suspension."

"Yes?" Calvin asked.

"Therefore we decided to give you two choices." He continued. "One: I lift one part of your punishment for the rest of your suspension. Two: We keep it as it is, but you get to go watch tonight's game at Kadic."

"You mean it?" Calvin said excitedly. Yumi just nodded.

"The game, definitely!" Calvin said.

"Alright, Calvin." Yumi said. "Just get your shoes on and we'll wait outside."

"Alright!" Calvin said literately jumping out of his seat and running upstairs. After a few minutes, he then ran outside and got in the car with his parents. After a short drive, they then arrived at Kadic and went up to the ticket counter.

* * *

"Excuse me, Mr. Stern." The girl at the counter said. "Pincipal Morales gave me strict orders to not let you in."

"Don't worry." He said. "I'm just here to watch."

"Very well." She said as she took their money and gave them the tickets. Calvin then noticed something printed on his ticket.

"VIP?" He asked.

"Because I like you." She said. "As a fan of course."

They then walked out to the bleachers and sat down in the very front row. As they sat down, Ami and Rumiko turned around and saw him.

"Calvin?" Ami asked.

"What?" Rumiko asked. "What's he doing here?"

"Cal's here?" Sam said as the three ran up to him. They then caught Calvin by surprise as they stormed the front row of the bleachers.

"Um, hey guys." He said. Ami then got out her camera and turned it on.

"Calvin Stern." She asked. "How does it feel to not be playing for your own team in the first of the play-off games?"

"Disappointing, I guess." He said. "But at least I'm watching it."

"Are you aware that the reason of your absence is due to an incident in the science class which _you _started?"

"We all make mistakes." Calvin said. "I'll make sure it won't happen again."

"By the way, Rumiko." Yumi said handing her daughter a letter. "You got this in the mail."

"Oh, look at that." Rumiko said looking at the seal of the letter. "It's from one of the colleges I applied to."

"Well, open it." Ulrich said. Rumiko then opened the letter and read it out loud.

"'Dear Ms. Stern. We regret to inform you…' Damn it." She said crumpling up the letter and putting it in her pocket. "That's the third one."

"Aw, Sweetie." Yumi said placing a hand on her shoulder and hugging her. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." She said. "I still have my main choice, but I'm out of alternatives."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Calvin said. "Just focus on cheering right now."

"Okay then." She said as they headed back to the field.

"Hey Sam." Calvin said to his friend. Sam just turned around. "Lead this team to victory."

"Yes, Captain." Sam said as he walked back to the field to the rest of the team.

"Calvin Stern?" Calvin heard a voice beside him say. Calvin then turned to see who it was.

"Oh no." Calvin said disappointingly. It was none other than Dean Bouchard.

"What brings you here?" Dean said. "I thought you were suspended."

"I am. I'm just here to watch."

"Who's your friend, Calvin?" Ulrich asked.

"My biggest fan." Calvin said annoyed. "And also my rival."

"You know, the whole team wanted to meet you." Dean said.

"Why didn't they?"

"But they did." Dean said. He then moved back to give Calvin a good view of the team.

"Team, this is Kadic's Calvin Stern. Calvin, this is the starting lineup for the Carnot Eagles: Alex, Kyo, Benedict, Kjeld, Romero, Nikolai, and Manuel."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Calvin said.

"Pleasure's all ours." The team said simultaneously.

"Hey." Dean said. "You should meet my new girlfriend as well."

"Okay then." Calvin said chuckling a bit. "Who's this girlfriend of yours?" Just then, a familiar face showed up as Calvin smile then faded.

"Samantha?" Calvin asked.

"In the living flesh." She said.

"Wow, you two know each other?"

"She was a bully to me since kindergarten." Calvin said.

"Oh, dear." Dean said. "Well, it's all water under the bridge now, right."

"I guess so." Sammy said.

"Too bad. I was looking forward to a pre-game humiliation." Dean said laughing out loud as the team followed suit.

"Yeah, real funny." Calvin said trying to force a laugh. "I'm gonna go ahead and watch the game now."

"Okay, I had my laugh. Go ahead." Dean said as Calvin turned back around.

"Is something the matter, Calvin?" Yumi asked.

"He is so getting beat next week." Calvin said under his breath.

* * *

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	24. Lack of Faith

As the players of both teams took their places on the field, the referee came out and placed the ball on the field. While this was happening, Ami motioned to her cameraperson to turn on the camera and she began speaking.

"Good Evening, students of Kadic Academy." Ami began. "This is Ami Stern, reporter and assistant editor for the Kadic News. Well, this is it. The first round of the France Middle School Soccer Playoffs has begun. Tonight's game features a math-up between two heated rivals: The defending champions, the Kadic Graywolves and playoff newcomers, the Diderot Lancers. Both teams are expected to play hard, but only one can come out on top. Who will it be? Tune in soon to find out. Until then, this is Ami Stern."

The kickoff than began as Diderot made off with the ball and ran down the field. The ball went back and forth many times with many close calls for both teams, but no goals. After 10 minutes, Diderot got themselves into good position near Kadic's goal and made a hard kick to the top left. Kadic's goalie was too slow to stop it and Diderot scored 1-0.

Sam just groaned in frustration and slammed his fits to the ground.

"Calm down." Sven-Søren said. "We still got plenty of time."

"You're right." Sam said as they took their positions. As the ball was then placed back on the field, Kadic, this time, took the ball and ran down the field. The ball switched back and forth between teams. However, Kadic's defense proved superior and they managed to score, tying the game 1-1. The Kadic bleachers erupted into cheers as a time-out was called.

"Great job, team." Jim said. "Now we work on a defensive strategy. Focus more on keeping your opponent from scoring and make an offence when you see an opportunity."

The team then put their hands together and headed back onto the field as the next kickoff began. The ball just went back and forth with no team making any significant progress. Eventually, Kadic saw that Diderot was slowing down a bit. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sam ran down the field with the ball right in front of him, dodging player after player. Right near the goal line, Sam had lost his balance and accidentally flung the ball up in the air. However Sam was able to stop and balance the ball on his head and bring it back in front of his foot. He then made a successful goal putting Kadic in the lead at the end of the half.

* * *

As the crowd cheered and the cheerleaders started their halftime routine, the team, minus Sam, headed back to the locker room to prepare. Sam, on the other hand, headed off to the bleachers to greet his friend.

"So, how'd I do?" Sam asked Calvin.

"Really good." Calvin said impressed. "I have to admit, I was a bit concerned, but I'm pretty sure I made the right choice."

"With what?" Ulrich asked his son.

"I made Sam captain as a result of my absence." Calvin said.

"You what?" Rumiko asked shocked.

"Calvin, that is without a doubt the stupidest choice you could ever make." Ami said.

"Oh, like you have better choices?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah: Sven or Lance." Rumiko said.

"Sven's all brawn and no strategy and Lance is just another Zach: Arrogant and narrow-minded." Calvin said. "Sam may not be smart in academics, but in athletics, he's a quick thinker and quick on his feet."

"If you say so." Ami said.

"Besides, a good underdog story will get you that editor-in-chief position hands down."

"Calvin, shh." Ami said nervously.

"What's this about an editor-in-chief position?" Yumi asked.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. Thanks a lot, Calvin!" Ami said.

"Ami, I'm sorry." Calvin said.

"Might as well say it." Ami said. "Anna, our current editor-in-chief is moving to America next year, so the position is now open for that year and possibly beyond."

"What does that have to do with you?" Rumiko asked.

"Our advisor is looking for someone who has shown great experience and dedication to the news like no one else."

"That explains why you wanted to tag along during the museum trip." Sam said.

"Yeah." Ami said. "And I wanted to surprise you because nothing was decided yet and I didn't want you jumping to conclusions."

"Oh, I get it." Yumi said. "Well, either way, good luck and I hope things turn out good."

Just then the whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the second half.

"Got to go now." Sam said walking out of the bleachers and back into the field. "Wish me luck."

* * *

Calvin then sat back down and proceeded to watch the rest of the game. He then turned to face Dean and his team.

"Well, Dean." Calvin said cheerfully. "My team's not too shabby, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh yes, Cal." Dean said. "You must be disappointed, though."

"What do you mean?" Calvin said. "Why would I?"

"To see your team perform so well without you." Dean said. "It's almost as if they don't need you."

"Well, I don't think that's…"

"I win games all the time, and it's because my team is nothing without their star player, i.e. me." Dean said. "Your team, however, doesn't seem to be the same."

"Yeah, but…" Calvin said.

"Also, I know about your condition. And it seems to me that they're just taking pity on you because of that." Dean said. "They know that they don't need you, but they pretend like they do because they feel sorry for you."

"That's not true!" Calvin said. "They're my friends and they would never do that just to pity me!"

"If they lose, then it wouldn't be true." Dean said. "But since they're winning and you aren't involved, it's just proving my point. Heck, even that Della Robbia kid's upstaging you as we speak."

Calvin didn't say anything as he turned back around.

* * *

At the last five minutes of the game, Kadic was now leading 4-3 and they had the ball. Kadic did their best to make sure that the ball never left their sight. As time passed, the ball kept moving back and forth between teams. Eventually time had expired and Kadic had won.

The bleachers erupted in great cheer and the team was dog piling on top one another while Diderot headed back to their locker room. Rumiko and Ami then came up to the bleacher and were greeted by their parents.

"You two were great out there as well." Yumi said hugging each one.

"Thanks." Rumiko said.

"Hey, what's with Calvin?" Ami said noticing that Calvin was looking down at his feet, not caring about what was going on. Yumi went up to him.

"Is something wrong, honey?" She asked him.

"Nothing." Calvin said depressed. "I just wanna go home."

"Okay." Yumi said as the five left the field and went back to their car.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rumiko asked.

"Just leave me alone!" Calvin said. Nobody else said anything.

* * *

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	25. Change in Strategy

A few days after the game, XANA was sitting in Carthage formulating the next stage of his grand plan. As he thought up his next attack, he summoned his apprentice, William Jr., to explain his plan.

"You called for me, Master?" William Jr. asked.

"Yes." XANA spoke. "I've been contemplating for some time about our next phase of our master scheme."

"And what have you come up with?" William Jr. asked.

"It's simple, really." XANA said. "We have most of what we need to carry it out. But alas, I lack the strength to push on any further. Even with all the recent return trips, I'm still not as strong."

"Well, can't you just take control of the return trip program and use it to your benefit?" William Jr. asked.

"I tried that years ago." XANA said. "Unfortunately, Jeremie got the better of me and made sure that I could no longer access it. Even now, I don't know where in the database it's stored."

"So what do you suggest we do?" William Jr. asked.

"We, as in you, instigate a few attacks around where they can cause enough damage." XANA said. "Once enough has been done, the Lyoko Warriors will have no choice but to use a return trip to fix everything, and in no time, I'll be just as strong once again."

"Excellent." William Jr. said. "And just where do we start?"

"I was thinking right in Paris." XANA said. "Right in the Zanbato Publishers main building."

"But that's where my dad works." William Jr. said.

"Yes." XANA said. "But don't worry; I'll make sure your father survives."

"You're crazy." William Jr. exclaimed.

"Do you want to see your brother again or not?" XANA shouted. "I can guarantee your father's survival after the attack and the return of your lost brother after my plan is complete! Or I can just kill him right now and end this! Is that what you want?" William Jr. said nothing. Finally he spoke.

"Where do you want me?" He asked.

"City center at 1700 hours. You and your syndicate." XANA said. "Don't be late."

* * *

Meanwhile, school had just started at Kadic and the gang was already at their usual meeting place at the cafeteria. Everyone was already enjoying their breakfast except Calvin, who was just sitting there, stirring his food.

"For God sakes, Calvin." Rumiko said. "You've been shuffling your eggs around for about five minutes. At least eat _something_."

"I'm not really that hungry, right now." Calvin said.

"Then why did you even get breakfast to begin with?" Dennis said.

"I don't know." Calvin said. "I guess I got it on accident."

"Calvin, you trip someone on accident, you don't order food on accident." Dennis said.

"You know what? If you're so damn smart, why don't _you _tell me why I got it then?" Calvin shouted, leaning against the table two inches from Dennis's face.

"Well, I…"

"Or better yet, how about you stop taking pity on kids like me just because you want them to feel better about themselves!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dennis asked angrily.

"Oh, come on!" Calvin exclaimed. "I already know the whole soccer thing was just a ruse to take pity on me; I'm not dense! Hell, you got Sam of all people, of course you'd pick me."

"I take offense to that." Sam said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dennis said. Calvin just slammed his tray down and stormed out.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don't _need _special treatment?" Calvin said as he exited the cafeteria and walked away.

"I'll go talk to him." Rumiko said getting up. As Calvin was walking down the hall, Rumiko ran up to him and tried to get his attention.

"Hey, Cal." She said.

"What?" He asked.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" She asked almost angry.

"I'd rather not." Calvin said.

"Well, I think you should." Rumiko said. "If not, you could at least apologize to Dennis for that performance."

"I have nothing to be sorry for." Calvin said.

"Why?" Rumiko asked. "What did he do that was so bad?"

"Would you just leave me alone?" Calvin exclaimed. "I don't have to answer to you, you aren't my mother!"

"I know that." Rumiko said.

"Then stop acting like it and looking out for me!" Calvin said. "Now if you excuse me, I'm heading off to class."

"Okay." Rumiko said. "Cal, I'm not going to force you to tell me. But I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I may not be your mother, but I am you big sister; your Onee-san. It's just as much as my job to be there for you as it is the rest of the family."

"Okay."

"If you're ready to talk, I'll be there."

"Okay." Calvin said as he headed off to the first of his classes ready to start the new day.

* * *

As the day went on, morning turned to noon, noon to afternoon and afternoon to evening; and it was that evening where XANA's plan began its next phase.

In the city of Paris, a van pulled up in front of the main building of Zanbato Publishers, where William was still at. A group of armed gunmen jumped out from the back of the truck and ran towards the back door. Their leader, William Jr., followed them and pulled a device out of his jacket, pressed a button, and placed it on the door; it was a bomb set to go off. He then gestured at his men to get back as he followed suit. After five seconds, the bomb exploded, blowing the door and surrounding wall clean off.

As the smoke cleared, William Jr. and his men found themselves face to face with William's security guards. William Jr. and his men then rushed out and attacked the security force. The guards' pistols were no match for the submachine guns carried by the gang of thugs as the fell within seconds.

"Alright, let's move out." William Jr. said as he and the thugs took separate elevators up to the top floor.

On the top floor, William was sitting in his office doing paperwork when he got a call on his phone.

"Talk to me." William Jr. said as he put the caller on speakerphone.

"Sir, there's an emergency situation going on in the main lobby." The caller said panicked. "They've already headed up to the elevator and are likely heading to your office."

"Tell the technician to lock all elevators in their current posi…" William started to say but was then interrupted by the storming of his office by the gang of thugs.

"Put your hands where we can see them." One of them said as he and the others pointed their guns at him.

"What's going on here?" William asked. Just then, he was snuck up from behind and felt a hand cover his mouth. William then turned to see his captor.

"William?" He asked, his voice muffled by his son's hand.

"If you so much a scream, I'll order them to open fire." William Jr. said. "Now come with us."

With no choice, William just followed along as he was led downstairs and out of the building.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Kadic, Calvin and company, sans Antea and Dennis who were away, were sitting in the rec room after a long school. While Calvin was minding himself, Rumiko spoke up.

"So, Calvin." She said. "Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

"Fine." Calvin sighed. "But I'm going to have to start at the beginning."

"Go ahead."

"Back at the soccer game against Diderot, I ran into Dean Bouchard in the bleachers."

"Uh huh." Rumiko said.

"He told me that if the team won without me, that it would be proof that they didn't need me."

"Oh dear." Rumiko said.

"And seeing as that Kadic won without me…"

"…you don't feel like you're a valuable part of the team anymore, do you?"

"No." Calvin said about to cry.

"Buddy, come here." Rumiko said hugging him. "I'm pretty sure you're just as valuable to the team as everyone else."

"Of course I'm not; my effort makes no difference." Calvin said. "The only reason I was chosen was because Dennis felt sorry for me because I'm autistic."

"That's not true, Calvin." Sam said. "Dennis is a real nice person; he would never make you feel like that."

"Of course he wouldn't." Calvin said. "But he'd still do it as long as I wasn't feeling like that."

"Calvin, Dean's a jackass. Plain and simple." Ami said. "He just making you feel bad so he can increase his chances of winning."

"But what he said made sense." Calvin said. "I mean…"

"Guys!" Dennis said as he came bursting into the room. "It's XANA. We need to get to the factory, now!"

* * *

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	26. Crisis Situation

After hearing this, the gang headed out of the rec room and out of the school. Making sure they didn't run into any of the faculty, they cleverly made their way outside.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked. "The cafeteria's over there."

"Sam, will you forget about your stomach for one second and make way to the factory?" Rumiko asked.

"But it's 'Pasta Night'." Sam whined.

"Will you shut up already?" Dennis said pulling out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Ami asked.

"Letting Antea know."

At the Hermitage, Antea was busy eating dinner with her mother when she heard her phone go off.

"May I be excused to answer the phone?" She asked.

"Yes you may." Aelita said as she grabbed her phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Antea, it's Dennis. We need you at the factory, pronto."

"Okay, I'll be there. See you." Antea said as she hung up the phone. She then went back to the table.

"Mom, XANA's on the attack. I have to leave." Antea said.

"Okay." Aelita said. "Should I save your food?"

"I really don't think that'll be necessary." Antea said.

"Oh right." Aelita said as Antea walked out the door and went to catch up with her friends.

* * *

A short time later, everyone else had already reached the bridge to the factory. Dennis could then see Antea coming out of the sewers and running towards the rest.

"Sorry I'm late, guys." She said.

"No problem." Ami said. "Now let's go."

The gang then went down to the factory floor and took the elevator down. As the elevator descended, Antea turned to see Calvin standing in the corner, staring at the ground.

"Is Calvin okay?" Antea asked.

"He's feeling a little insecure right now." Rumiko said to her.

"About what?" Dennis asked.

"I don't think he wants us to talk about it." Ami said. "So I'd leave him alone for now."

"Very well." Antea said. The elevator door then opened as Dennis stepped out and took his place by the main computer.

"Antea, Calvin and Rumiko, I'm sending you three first." Dennis said. "The rest stay with me."

The others then exited the elevator while the former three stayed behind and took the elevator down to the scanners.

"Alright guys." Dennis said. "The tower's in the Ice Sector this time. I'll give you the exact location after I send you in."

The three then stepped into their own scanner; Dennis began the procedure.

"Transfer Calvin. Scanner Calvin."

"Transfer Rumiko. Scanner Rumiko."

"Transfer Antea. Scanner Antea."

"Virtualization!"

Seconds later, the trio found themselves on the Ice Sector awaiting their orders.

"So where to now?" Antea asked.

"The tower should be 97 degrees east by south." Dennis said.

"Alright, we'll take it from here." Rumiko said drawing her sai and leading the way.

"Careful." Dennis said. "XANA's bound to be waiting."

"Hey, Dennis?" Sam asked. "This may seem like a bad time, but look." He then handed Dennis his smartphone.

"What is it?" Dennis asked. He then saw that it was open to a news article; he read it out loud.

"'Break in at Zanbato Publishers main building leaves many injured and CEO missing.'" Dennis said. "Sam, when did this happen?"

"About a few minutes ago." Sam said. Dennis than began tapping frantically on the keyboard and brought up another window that showed a live report of said news story.

"Just moments ago, Zanbato Publishers was broken in by a group of unknown assailants." The newscaster said standing in front of the building, where an investigation was visible. "Despite the attempts of nearby security officers, the assailants still managed to make their way through the building and head to the office of CEO William Dunbar Sr. Eyewitness reports have claimed to seen Mr. Dunbar tied up and placed in a van, but these reports have yet to be confirmed."

"Oh my God." Dennis said shocked.

"You don't think that…" Ami said.

"It has to be." Dennis said. "XANA's kidnapped my father."

"What?" Rumiko said.

"We have to move out now." Antea said. "Who knows what could happen next."

* * *

They then picked up the pace and made their way to the tower. Rumiko then turned around to find Calvin not catching up with them; it was almost as if he were distracted by something.

"You coming?" Rumiko asked.

"Yeah." Calvin said snapping back to reality. He then ran up to the other two.

Back in the streets of Paris, the van that contained William Jr.'s gang was already cruising away. Inside, William was tied to the floor, blindfolded and his mouth taped while he was being guarded by his son and three of the thugs.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, but it's all part of the plan." He said. "You see XANA and I met and he made me a deal: Do his bidding until his ultimate plan is complete and he'll bring Russell back. It's only a matter of time, but don't worry, you'll survive no matter what I do to you." William Jr. then removed the piece of tape around his father's mouth. "Any thoughts?"

"Willy, let me just take this moment to say that you are completely insane." William said.

"To each his own." William Jr. Just then the van stopped.

"Where are we?" William asked.

"Julian? Help our guest up." William Jr. said as one of the thugs untied their hostage and opened the van doors as they led him out.

A minute later, they entered an abandoned warehouse and they tied William to a metal support beam.

"Now, here's the deal." William Jr. said. "The Lyoko Warriors are already on Lyoko attempting to deactivate the next tower; however, I want the situation to be direr."

"What does this have to do with me?" William asked.

"You are the victim in a race against time." William Jr. said. "The Lyoko Warriors have 10 minutes to reach the tower area. If they fail, I take this gun, point it at your head and fire."

"I thought you wanted me alive."

"Oh, I do." William Jr. said. "But the Warriors don't know that. Therefore, they'll have no choice but to activate a return trip, should anything happen."

"You're really going to risk that?" William asked. "You're really going to endanger your own father's life? What if XANA's lying to you? Ever think of that." He then stopped as he felt the barrel of a pistol upon his forehead.

"Ten minutes." William Jr. said. "Starting now."

* * *

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	27. Close Call

Back on Lyoko, the trio was proceeding on foot to the tower. Along the way, Rumiko noticed something unusual.

"Something doesn't add up." Rumiko said.

"What do you mean?" Antea asked.

"Just listen." Rumiko said. The other two just stood still and did what Rumiko said.

"I don't hear anything." Calvin said.

"Exactly." Rumiko said. "You think that XANA would've kicked up the offense by now."

"Maybe." Antea said. "Let's keep our guard up anyway. Who knows what we can expect?"

As they proceeded, Calvin paused where he was. He had just heard something, but it wasn't XANA's monsters. He looked down and saw the ice below his feet cracking around him. Calvin tried to run, but before he could make it, the ice collapsed and he fell just barely holding on to one of the ledges.

"Guys, help!" Calvin shouted still hanging.

"Calvin!" Rumiko exclaimed seeing her brother in his position. Antea then followed her seeing what she could do to help.

"Grab my hand and we'll lift you up." Rumiko said extending her arm forward. Calvin then put his other arm forward and grabbed his sister's hand.

"Antea, help pull us up." Rumiko said. Antea ran over to the both of them and grabbed Rumiko's waist. As they were lifting him up, a laser blast had hit Antea in the back causing her to fall and causing Rumiko to lose her grip on her brother.

"No!" Rumiko shouted as Calvin fell into the chasm; they then heard a small thud.

"I'm okay!" Calvin shouted.

"Well, I guess that's good news." Antea said.

"How's that good news?" Rumiko snapped.

"It means he didn't fall in the Digital Sea or anything." Antea said.

"True." Rumiko said realizing this. "By the way, what hit us?"

"Maybe that." Antea said pointing to the black Tarantula which William Jr. was riding; on its sides were three Krabes. As the monsters charged forward, Rumiko and Antea drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

"Alright, Willy. It's time for… Hey, where are you going?" Rumiko asked as William Jr. jumped above their heads and into the chasm.

"You two don't concern me." William Jr. said.

"Well, I guess we just have these four to deal with." Antea said. They then ran up to the monsters, fully armed.

* * *

Inside the chasm, Calvin was already looking for a way out. He tried climbing the walls, but they were too smooth. He tried high-jumping, but it was too high. As hard as he tried, escape was near impossible. Just then, he heard someone come up behind him.

"Hello, Calvin." Calvin turned around and found himself face to face with William Jr.

"William Jr." Calvin said. "Why are you here?"

"I'm so sorry to bring you down here like this." He said. "But I want to give us a chance to talk."

"What do _you _want to talk about?" Calvin asked.

"I heard about your behavioral changes." William Jr. said. "Like how you tried to show up that Norwegian fruit during your soccer games and nearly snapped his back during the martial arts tournament. And how you smart-mouth your teacher after she berated her best friend."

"Where are you going with this?" Calvin asked.

"I even chuckled when you started moping about what that Carnot kid said to you." William Jr. said. "It amazes me what wonders I did to you."

"What does any of this have to do with you?" Calvin asked. "And how do you know all of this?"

"I know everything about you."

"Since when?" Calvin asked.

"Since the beginning of the year; sometime after XANA gave me a place by his side." William Jr. said. "I know everything, even your past. I know about Samantha and the history you share, about your first real crush and how she nearly broke up with you after her father's death."

"Shut up." Calvin said.

"Oh, and also when she was in a coma and you sliced your wrists and ended up…"

"Shut up!" Calvin said running up to him and swinging his staff. However, William Jr. just pulled out one of his swords and slashed Calvin along his chest. Calvin just cringed in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Pathetic." William Jr. said. "You've grown much stronger, but you're still as weak as when I first saw you. Anyways, my time is up. Now to see how I'm doing on Earth.

With that, William Jr. flew out of the chasm and disappeared, leaving Calvin confused. Then, the floor below him began to rise up and Calvin found himself back on normal ground.

* * *

On Earth, William Jr. was checking his watch to see when the ten minutes would be up. HE looked at the second tick away as William, still tied up, was getting more and more anxious. Five seconds remained.

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

"Julian, make the call." William Jr. said as Julian pulled out a cell phone and dialed the emergency number.

"Rest easy, father." William Jr. said pointing his pistol at his father's forehead. The last thing William heard was the deafening sound of the gun firing.

* * *

*BANG!*

* * *

"Just minutes ago, Zanbato Publishers CEO William Dunbar Sr. was found in an abandoned warehouse tied to a post with a severe gunshot wound to the head after an anonymous caller told authorities about his location." A newscaster said on one of the windows that Dennis was watching. "Although Mr. Dunbar is still alive, he is in critical condition and not expected to live, as he was found too long after the near-fatal shot had been fired."

Dennis just sat down with his eyes and mouth wide open. He then pulled up his headset.

"Guys?" He asked traumatized. "How far are you from the tower?"

"About that…" Antea said. "Well, just seconds ago, the monsters disappeared and now the tower's right in front of us."

"Dennis, is something wrong?" Rumiko asked.

"Dad's in the hospital." Dennis said almost crying. "Got shot in the head."

"Oh my God." Antea said. "Well, good thing the tower's right in front of us. I'll deactivate it and you can activate a return trip."

"Wait, Antea!" Calvin said running up to them.

"Calvin?" She asked. "How did you get here?"

"Never mind that." Calvin said. "Dennis, don't even think of making a return trip."

"Umm… what?" Rumiko asked.

"Don't you see that this is what XANA wants?" Calvin asked. "If we return to the past, XANA will benefit in the long run."

"Calvin! My father's dying and I have the opportunity to save him." Dennis said. "And you don't want us to?"

"One life compared to the billions if XANA gets his way." Calvin said. "Remember, Antea?"

"Calvin, Dennis is your friend!" Antea said. "I can't believe that you just want to let his father die."

"Antea's right!" Rumiko said. "Just who do you think you are?"

"In the long run, it will be beneficial to us!" Calvin shouted. "Give me one good reason why I should let you!"

"Because I'd do the same for you if it was one of your parents!" Dennis exclaimed, crying. Calvin didn't say anything.

"Better go now." Antea said as she ran to the tower and proceeded with the deactivation. Afterwards, Dennis entered the return trip procedure and launched it.

"Return to the past, now." Dennis said as a bright light enveloped the room and made its way to the rest of the town.

* * *

When it ended, everyone found themselves in the cafeteria; they had returned to this morning.

"So, did it work?" Sam asked.

"Hold on." Dennis said pulling out his phone and dialing his father's number. The phone kept ringing and Dennis got more and more anxious. After the sixth ring, he heard the phone pick up.

"Hello. Zanbato Publishers. William Dunbar speaking."

"It worked." Dennis said nearly crying tears of joy. Everyone just sighed in relief.

"Dennis, is that you?" William said. "Get off the phone. I'm very busy."

"Okay, sorry to have bothered you." Dennis said. "I just called to say that I love you and I'm so glad you're still alive."

"So, that wasn't a dream?" William asked.

"No. XANA really did kidnap you and shoot you in the head." Dennis said. "I activated a return trip just in time."

"It wasn't XANA, though." William said. "It was your brother."

"Willy did this?" Dennis asked.

"I'm afraid so." William said.

"I knew he was working for XANA, but I didn't think he would sink this low." Dennis said.

"I can't believe it either." William said. "Please, make him see the error of his ways and bring my boy back. Bring him back before he endangers another family member."

"Don't worry, we will." Dennis said as he hung up. "Well guys, we… Hey, where did Calvin go?"

The rest looked around and saw that Calvin had left the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, Jim was sitting in his office when he heard the door knock.

"Come in." He said. Calvin then entered the room. "Oh, Mr. Stern. How can I help you?"

"I just want to let you know that I'm sitting out for the rest of the season."

* * *

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	28. Visiting Carnot

After telling Jim his intentions of sitting out and after a small conversation following it, Calvin left the office to find his friends standing outside the door.

"Oh hey, guys." Calvin said.

"Wanna tell us what's going on?" Dennis asked. "For real, this time?"

"I don't know what you mean." Calvin said. "I was just telling Jim that…"

"How stupid do you think I am, Calvin?" Dennis asked. "Did you really think Rumiko wouldn't tell me about how Dean made you feel bad at the Diderot game?"

"What?" Calvin asked. "Rumiko, why did you…?"

"Because you needed help." Rumiko said. "And after your little performance on Lyoko, I decided that it was more important than keeping your secret."

"Why didn't you just tell us last night?" Antea asked. "Instead of going behind our backs, including mine."

Look, it doesn't matter now anyway." Calvin said. "I already told Jim I'm sitting out for the rest of the season, but…"

"You what?" Sam exclaimed.

"Calvin, I know you're upset. I can see that." Dennis said. "But you aren't punishing the entire team just because…"

"BUT…" Calvin interrupted. "Jim convinced me to give it some thought and I could at least sit out for tonight's game and let myself unwind."

"So are you?" Sam asked.

"Am I what?" Calvin asked.

"Are you going to think about it?" Sam asked.

"Of course." Calvin said. "Hey, Carnot's playing at home tonight, right?"

"Um, yeah." Dennis said. "But I don't see why…"

"Great! Then that's where I'm going." Calvin said walking out.

"Where are _you _going?" Rumiko asked.

"To Paris to watch the Carnot game." Calvin said. "If I'm sitting out, I might as well."

"And why are you going?" Dennis asked. "If you're trying to get revenge on Dean, then don't think I'm just gonna let you go and…"

"I'm not getting revenge." Calvin said. "I'm just observing."

"Ami, go with him." Rumiko said. "If he starts to make a fool of himself, drag him out."

"Okay." Ami said.

"Come on." Calvin said. "Don't you guys trust me?"

"Look." Rumiko said. "It's just ever since the beginning of the year, you've been acting kinda…"

"Just tell me, Rumiko!" Calvin shouted.

"I don't know anymore, okay?" Rumiko exclaimed. "I just don't know."

"Fine…" Calvin said. "Ami, come with me."

"You know, Mom and Dad are coming to tonight's game." Ami said.

"Tell them I'm sick and you decided to stay with me." Calvin said.

"Okay." Ami said.

* * *

When it got later in the night, Calvin and Ami got on the train to Paris and headed off. About a half-hour later, the two got off and took a cab to Lycee Carnot. Upon arriving, Calvin went to the stadium and stared in awe at the soccer field.

"Wow…" Calvin said quietly.

"Hey, Kid!" Calvin turned around to find one of the faculty members standing near the field. He appeared to be a groundskeeper of sorts. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I know." Calvin said. "I'm just checking out the architecture."

"Well, make it quick." The groundskeeper said. "The game's starting soon."

With that, Calvin left the field and took his seat in the bleachers. A few minutes later, the bleachers were filled as the teams took their place on the field. Ami turned to see that Calvin wasn't paying attention; he appeared to be jotting stuff down on a piece of paper.

"What are you doing?" Ami asked.

"Basic trigonometry." Calvin said.

"Um, may I ask why?" Ami asked.

"Nothing that concerns you." Calvin said. Seconds later, the first kickoff began. Calvin saw, who he recognized as Alex, take the ball as he charged down the field with the other defenders. Within seconds, Alex scored Carnot's first goal. Calvin then jotted down more stuff on his paper.

As the game went on, each team proved to be a fair match. Carnot scored some, the opposing team scored others. Eventually, the clock expired and Carnot had won 7-2. Ami turned to see that Calvin had filled enough pages to make an entire book.

"Calvin, what is all that?" Ami asked.

"I'll tell you later." Calvin said. "If you excuse me, I need to meet someone."

* * *

Calvin then headed down to the entrance of the locker room and saw Dean Bouchard walk up. Calvin then approached him.

"Dean Bouchard?" Calvin asked.

"Oh, Calvin Stern." He said. "Fancy meeting you here. How long have you been here?"

"Since the game started." Calvin said.

"Well, what brings you here in such a fine night for us?" Dean asked.

"I decided to sit out for our game tonight, and possibly for the rest of the season." Calvin said. "So I came to watch yours."

"Finally accepted the truth, didn't you?" Dean said with mock sympathy. "Well, what else can I say?"

"Either way, it won't make a difference when Kadic beats you."

"You mean _if _Kadic beats us." Dean said. "Which they won't."

"We'll see." Calvin said. "In the meantime, I'll make sure my team's much more prepared at facing you than they were the first time."

"You go do that." Dean said. He then turned to see Ami standing next to her brother. "And who's this little girl?"

"That would be my little sister." Calvin said.

"Aww, how sweet." Dean said. He then got closer to her. "Did you come tag along with your big brother?"

"Please don't patronize me." Ami said.

"Oh, you don't like that?" Dean asked. "You're such a little cutie, you know that?"

"Don't call me 'Cutie'." Ami said. "I'm 13 years old and I demand to be treated as such!"

"Dean, stop it!" Calvin said.

"Aww, but she's so cute when she's angry. Yes you are." Dean said. Ami was now fuming and trying her best not to cry.

"Leave my sister alone, Dean!" Calvin said getting angrier.

"Why? It's funny." Dean said. "You really need to lighten up and…"

"I said leave her alone!" Calvin shouted through gritted teeth, grabbing Dean by the collar of his jersey and pinning him up to the wall.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Dean said.

"Apologize to her, not me!" Calvin said still angry.

"Fine, I will." Dean said. "But could you let me go? I think the back of my neck's chafing."

Calvin then let him go as Dean went up to Ami.

"I'm sorry I treated you like I did." Dean said. Ami didn't say anything and just ran off.

"See you in the semifinals." Calvin said to Dean.

* * *

Calvin then caught up with his sister who was standing outside the school.

"Hey, Ami."

"What?" Ami said.

"Please don't let Dean get to you like that." Calvin said. "He's just a jerk."

"I just hate it when everyone treats me like a little kid." Ami said. "It's so demeaning for someone my age."

"I know, Sweetie. Come here." Calvin said hugging her. "You could use a good crying."

Ami did just that as Calvin held her close.

"You shouldn't let his insults get to you." Calvin said.

"Then why do you?" Ami asked. "It's his insults that led you to lose faith in yourself."

"That's different." Calvin said.

"How?"

"It just is." Calvin said. He then let go of his sister. "Now dry your eyes, and we can go home and meet the rest. Okay?"

"Okay." Ami said. "Hey, Cal."

"Hmm?" Calvin said.

"Thanks." With that, they headed back to the station and went back to Boulogne-Billancourt.

* * *

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	29. Traumatic Times

In roughly a half-hour, Calvin and Ami returned to Kadic. They looked around the school for their friends to tell them about what had been going on. They looked around and eventually found all their friends sitting in the rec room.

"Hey, guys!" Calvin shouted as he ran up to them.

"Calvin?" Dennis said.

"Dennis, guess what?" Calvin said excitedly.

"What?" Dennis asked.

"What's going on?" Rumiko asked.

"Well, first tell me how your game went." Calvin said.

"Pretty well." Dennis said. "We won actually."

"Great!" Calvin shouted cheerfully.

"Wow, Calvin." Antea said. "You sure seem much happier."

"You'll be needing this then, Dennis." Calvin said handing him the stack of notes he took during the game.

"What's this?" Dennis asked.

"Our key to beating Carnot." Calvin said. "Read it!"

Dennis looked inside and saw a rough sketch of the field and stick figures in various positions with and without the ball. Also included were various formulas, equations and other chicken scratch.

"So, what is it?" Dennis asked.

"Just the behaviors of the players during their game." Calvin said. "We'll use it to our advantage."

"What? No!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Calvin, that's cheating!" Ami said.

"Cheating? Are you serious?" Calvin asked. "Spying on the actual plays _while we're playing_ is cheating. All I did was take the physical characteristics of each individual player and their average speed, strength, even penalties, all in correlation with the dimensions of the field."

"Well, he does have a point." Ami said.

"You didn't run into any trouble did you?" Rumiko asked.

"Well, I did get into a small scuffle with Dean, but…"

"You what?" Rumiko exclaimed. "Ami, why didn't you stop him like I told you to?"

"Because I was the victim!" Ami said. "Aren't older siblings supposed to stick up for the younger ones?"

"Yeah." Calvin said. "Dean was harassing her about her age, she got upset and I intervened."

"Well, I'm glad you wanted to help." Rumiko said. "But that wasn't the way to settle it."

"Oh, come on!" Calvin said. "You'd do the same for me!"

"Yeah, because it would actually be about you." Rumiko said. "Not just looking for an excuse to get my anger out only because I was still moping over one insulting comment!"

"You don't understand, Rumiko…"

"I understand exactly, Calvin!" Rumiko shouted. "That Carnot kid made one little snide comment about you and you're still crying like a five-year old about it!"

Calvin just stared at the ground.

"People say hurtful things." Rumiko said. "Live with it, suck it up, grow up and move on!"

"I told you, I was going to consider still playing."

"Yeah, that's real convincing." Dennis said sarcastically. "Besides, it didn't stop you from telling Jim you wanted to quit."

Calvin said nothing.

"You wanna know something else, Calvin?" Dennis said. "Maybe you _are_ better off not being on Kadic's team; you're no sort of champion if you're just going to fall apart at the first sign of adversity!"

Intimidated, Calvin just ran out the rec room saying nothing.

"Calvin, wait!" Dennis called out.

"Allow me." Antea said walking out of the room.

* * *

She walked outside the school looking for Calvin when she found him sitting on the front steps, face buried in his knees.

"Calvin, can we talk?" She asked.

"What is it?" Calvin asked.

"Look, maybe Dennis was being a bit harsh, but you know he has a point." Antea said.

"Oh?"

"You can't hold on to these types of grudges for so long." She said. "Not only is it childish, but it just makes you feel even worse."

"You wouldn't understand." Calvin said. "You've never been through life being told you'd never amount to anything, or being pitied because you were mentally ill."

"Maybe not, but you can't let them get the better of you." Antea said. "The past is the past. The present is all that matters."

"You can't just forget these things, Antea."

"But you can forgive." Antea said. "Remember last year how you won your first national championship? By filling in for Dennis as captain when he was injured?"

"Yeah." Calvin said.

"I bet a lot of the people that said those things saw that and immediately recanted." Antea said.

"Yeah, that could be." Calvin said looking up.

"And now you have a chance to do it again." Antea said. "You can either sit out and let Dean know he got the better of you, or you can go out there and show him who the better player really is!"

"You're right, Antea." Calvin said straightening up.

"You're a great player no matter what they say." Antea said. "Let me hear you say it!"

"I'm a great player no matter what they say."

"Louder."

"I'm a great player no matter what they say!"

"And who's gonna tell you otherwise?"

"Nobody!"

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm great in my eyes and that's all that matters!" Calvin shouted as loud as he could jumping up from where he was sitting. He then calmed down and sat back down.

"Are you feeling better?" Antea asked.

"Yeah, actually."

"Well, let's get back inside then." Antea said. With that, they walked back in and got ready to wrap up the night.

* * *

The next day was the day off, so Calvin and his sisters spent the day with their parents. Meanwhile, on Lyoko, XANA had already begun to plot his next scheme.

"He's grown stronger than I last remember him." XANA said.

"Indeed, master." William Jr. said. "Killing him will be harder than expected."

"I don't want him dead." XANA said. "I want him to feel pain; to be emotionally crippled and be as weak as he can get."

"And what do you propose?"

"Funny you should ask." XANA said. "I just so happen to have come up with the next target of our attack."

"Yes?"

"One that, if fallen, will prove to be a great blow to Calvin's emotional stability."

"Well, who is it?" William Jr. asked.

"Yumi Ishiyama." XANA said. William Jr.'s eyes just widened.

"You will ensure her survival, right?" William Jr. asked.

"I ensured your father's, didn't I?"

"Then it will be done." William Jr. said.

* * *

Later that night, William Jr.'s van pulled up to the front of the Stern Residence. Out of the van came William Jr. and his thugs, the former with his blades and the latter with their guns. They then walked up to the house.

Inside, Calvin was already in bed in his night clothing, reading, when Ami came inside the room.

"Calvin?" She asked.

"Yes?" Calvin asked.

"I thought I heard something from outside, can you come down and check?"

"Okay." Calvin said. As they headed downstairs, the two could hear faint whispering coming from the other side of the front door.

"What's going on?" Calvin asked himself. As he listened closer, he recognized one of the voices: William Jr.'s voice. "Oh no."

Just then, the door broke open revealing William Jr. and his thugs. Ami just screamed.

"Calvin?" William Jr. said looking up towards the stairs.

"I'll take care of her." Julian said as he ran upstairs and pinned Ami to the wall and pointed his gun at her. "If you love your Mommy, you'll keep your fucking mouth shut. Okay?"

Ami just nodded, tears rolling down her face.

"You let her go!" Calvin said running up to Julian. However, another thug came and shot him in the arm. It only passed over and made a small cut, but it was enough to make him stop.

William Jr. and his entourage then ran upstairs until they reached the master bedroom. William Jr. then broke open the door, surprising both Ulrich and Yumi.

"Nobody move!" One of the other thugs shouted. William Jr. then walked up to them.

"Willy?" Yumi said completely shocked.

"Now to finish you off." William Jr. said to her.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" They turned around to find Rumiko standing by the doorway.

"Take her down." William Jr. commanded. Hey then ran up to her as Rumiko used her martial arts skills to fend them off. She was making progress, but then one of the thugs grabbed her hair and held her up against the wall as she was kneed in the stomach. She then fell to the ground.

"Rumiko!" Yumi shouted.

Back on the stairs, Ami was still being held at gunpoint. However, Calvin, who had ran downstairs previously, ran back up and, using a cutting knife, jabbed Julian in the foot, causing him to let go of Ami, who immediately ran upstairs.

"Try that again, you punk!" Julian said tearing out part of the railing and beaming Calvin in the side of the head. Calvin then fell down the stairs and blacked out.

Ami then ran to the master bedroom and found William Jr. brandishing a switchblade in front of Yumi.

"Mom, no!" Ami shouted as the other thugs held her back.

"Willy, please. You don't have to do this." Yumi pleaded.

"I know…" William Jr. said as he took the knife and stabbed his mother in the stomach.

* * *

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	30. Calvin's Revenge

Immediately after William Jr. and his company left, Ulrich picked up the phone and called the hospital. Yumi was placed on a stretcher and taken in an ambulance, Calvin, still unconscious, was loaded in the car. After Calvin was situated, Ulrich and his daughters then got in and followed the ambulance close behind.

Ten minutes later, the family had arrived. Calvin had only suffered a mild concussion and bruising; he was given a bandage on the side of his head and an ice pack. Yumi was not so lucky: She was brought into the emergency room for immediate treatment. Suffice to say, she survived. Had the knife gone any deeper, it would've been fatal. While Yumi was in her bed at the hospital, Calvin, who wasn't in any serious condition, was resting his head on his father's lap, who was sitting on a couch in the waiting room. He then regained consciousness and looked around.

"Oh… Where am I?" Calvin said softly as he tilted his head to the side.

"Calvin, you're awake." Ulrich said. "Girls, your brother's awake!" Ami and Rumiko, who were reading magazines on an adjacent couch, immediately walked over to their brother.

"Hey, how're you doing?" Ami asked.

"Glad to see you made it through." Rumiko said.

"Why? What happened?" Calvin asked. "And where am I?"

"In the hospital, Silly." Ami said.

"You blacked out after a blow to the head." Rumiko said. "Fortunately, it was nothing too serious."

"All I remember was William Jr. breaking in and an armed gunman holding Ami and me stabbing him in the foot."

"That sounds about right." Ulrich said. "You were found at the bottom of the stairs when we brought you in."

"Wait." Calvin said. "Where's Mom?" Calvin saw Rumiko look away and Ami looked like she was about to cry.

"What's wrong?" Calvin asked. "What happened?"

"Calvin, your mom had a bit of an accident." Ulrich said. "She was stabbed in the stomach and had to be immediately rushed."

"No." Calvin said with a worried shake in his voice. "Is she… Is she…?"

"Shhh." Ulrich said. "Don't worry, she's still alive. It's just going to take some time for her to fully recover."

"I need to see her." Calvin said. "Let me see her."

"Calvin, even if you could, I wouldn't let you." Ulrich said. "You took a heavy blow back there. Right now, you just need to lie down and rest."

"Dad's right, Calvin." Rumiko said. "There's nothing you can do at this moment, anyway."

"But…"

"No 'buts', Calvin." Ulrich said. "Now go to sleep. We'll all see her in the morning. Okay?"

"Okay." Calvin said. Ami then went up to him.

"You're very brave, Calvin." She said. "To have saved me like that even if it involved you almost being dead."

"Hey, that's what siblings do." Calvin said. "Goodnight, Ami."

"Night, Cal." Ami said. "And thanks again." Calvin then fell asleep on the couch, using Ulrich's lap as his pillow, while his sisters slept on opposite ends of their couch. Ulrich was the last to fell asleep, still sitting up and supporting his son.

* * *

The next morning, the family woke up and saw that one of the nurses was standing next to them.

"Ulrich Stern and family?" She said.

"That would be us." Ulrich said.

"Come with me." The nurse then led them down a series of hallways until she stopped in front of one of the doors. She then knocked.

"Mrs. Stern. Your family is here to see you." She said.

"Good. Let them in." Yumi said from the other side of the door. The nurse then opened the door allowing the family to walk in. As they walked in, they saw that Aelita and Antea were also with her.

"Mom!" Ami said as she ran up to Yumi.

"Hey, Ami." Yumi said. "How're you?"

"Fine knowing that you're here." Ami said.

"Hey Mom." Rumiko said hugging her.

"Hi, Rumiko." Yumi said. "And how're you feeling?"

"Still hurting a bit, but still standing."

"Wait, what?" Calvin said.

"That's right, you weren't there." Ulrich said. "Rumiko came up and tried to fight off our attackers."

"Hey, give Calvin some credit." Ami said. "I mean he only saved my life."

"You did?" Yumi asked. Calvin just nodded.

"Wow, Calvin." Ulrich said. "That was really brave of you."

"Mhmm." Calvin said. "And hey Antea."

"Hey." Antea said as she walked up to her boyfriend. "Calvin, I'm really sorry this happened. It must be so devastating for someone like you. "

"Thanks, Antea." He said hugging her. "It really means a lot." He then walked over to the window.

"So how're you feeling, Honey?" Ulrich asked his wife.

"Just fine." Yumi said. "Hurting quite a bit, but just fine."

"Glad to hear." Aelita said. She then turned to see that Calvin was still staring out the window, not moving. "Calvin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Calvin said monotonically.

"You sure?" Rumiko said. "You know, if you're thinking about going after William Jr. over this, think again."

"Don't worry, Rumiko. I won't go after him." Calvin said. He then slammed his fists down on the windowsill. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Rumiko said. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To the factory." Calvin said angrily. "I'm finding that bastard and making him pay."

"Calvin, please don't." Yumi said.

"Calvin, don't you dare…" Rumiko said before Calvin slammed the door.

"C'mon, we have to go after him before he gets himself hurt." Rumiko said to Ami and Antea.

"I'm staying with Mom and keeping her company." Ami said.

"No, it's okay." Yumi said. "Go and find your brother."

"Alright." Ami said as the three walked out.

"Sorry to cut it short, Mom." Rumiko said.

"That's okay." Yumi said. "Just bring back your brother before he hurts himself." Rumiko then pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial.

"What are you doing?" Antea asked.

"Letting Dennis and Sam know." Rumiko said. "Even if we can't stop him, we can certainly send backup." With that they left the room and closed the door.

"I hope this ends well for the both of them." Antea said.

"Who, Calvin and Rumiko?" Ulrich asked.

"No. Calvin and William Jr."

* * *

Meanwhile, Calvin was still running down the sidewalk as fast as he could to get to the factory. A few minutes later, he heard his phone go off.

"Hello?" He said answering it.

"Hey, it's Dennis."

"This is the worst possible time right now."

"Lemme guess." Dennis said. "Your Mom's in the hospital because of William Jr. and you're trying to get revenge."

"Yeah, how did…?"

"Rumiko just called me." Dennis said. "Calvin, don't even think about going!"

"Why not? He tried to kill my mother." Calvin said. "It's the least I can do."

"So? He almost killed my father; you don't see me going after him." Dennis said. "Look, there are no tower's active. Just activate a return trip if it's that bad."

"It's not even that serious." Calvin said. "Besides, that exactly what XANA wants."

"What do you mean?" Dennis asked.

"I told you before, XANA's doing these attacks so we can keep activating return trips and make him stronger." Calvin said. "I mean, can you think of any reason why he would just randomly attack William and my mother?"

"I see your point." Dennis said. "But if it's not that serious, then why do you feel the need to go after him?"

"Because it's personal." Calvin said.

"What?" Dennis exclaimed. "Calvin, you stop and get back now!"

"No can do." Calvin said.

"I said get back!" Dennis shouted. "Don't you know that revenge never solves anything? Further, my brother's stronger than you. Take one step and…"

"Goodbye, Dennis." Calvin said as he hung up.

"Damn it, Calvin!" Dennis said. He then sighed in exasperation and dialed a different number on his phone. After the first ring, it was answered.

"Hello?"

"Sam, it's Dennis." Dennis said. "Meet me at the factory."

After a few minutes, Calvin arrived at the bridge to the factory. However, he was stopped when William Jr.'s thugs popped out from the factory entrance.

"And where do you think you're going, Kid?" One of them said.

"To find William Jr. and finish him for good."

"I don't think so." Julian said. "Don't think I forgot about our little incident last night. You wanna meet our master, you'll have to go through all of us."

"It'll be my pleasure." Calvin said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang had already met in front of Kadic and were ready to make way to the factory. They then ran off and took their usual route.

"We'd better hurry." Dennis said. "Calvin's surely arrived at the factory by now."

"Wait." Sam said. "Why are we stopping Calvin, again?"

"Because Calvin doesn't know what he's going up against." Dennis said. "Willy's gonna kill him if he gets the upper hand, which he will."

"And even if he doesn't, it'll be Calvin that'll end up being the one who kills." Rumiko said. "He's so supportive of his family that he'll dish out the proper punishment if any of us gets hurt by others."

"Although, if we manage to find and materialize William Jr., we could subdue him and bring him to justice." Sam said. "I mean he joined XANA by choice, so technically we can still do that."

"Why didn't I think of that? Oh, that's right. Because he'll try and kill us anyway!" Dennis said.

"Not if we overwhelm him." Ami said. "When Dennis materializes him, we'll just jump out and I'll knock him out by his pressure points."

"That's actually crazy enough to work." Rumiko said.

"Very well." Dennis sighed. "Let's just get there before Calvin."

"Umm, guys? I think we may be too late." Antea said. The rest turned to see Julian and the rest of the thugs bound up, mouths taped and tied to the bridge. "We have to hurry, now!"

Unfortunately for them, Calvin had already started a delayed virtualization, but not before making a few configurations, and was already down in the scanners. After a few seconds, the scanner doors closed and the procedure began.

When it finished, Calvin found himself standing in the middle of Sector 5. He then pulled out his staff and prepared for what was to happen.

"WILLIAM!" Calvin shouted. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

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	31. Outmatched

On Lyoko in Sector 5, XANA was arleady giving his servant, William Jr., a good scolding over what happened.

"You worthless animal!" XANA shouted to William Jr. striking him in the face.

"What are you so angry about?" William Jr. asked. "I did as you asked."

"You had the potential to critically wound her, but instead she recovered with out the intervention of the Return to the Past." XANA said. "That means one less return trip and one less oppurtunity to regain my strength and the virus's strength."

"I assure you it won't happen again." William Jr. said.

"Well, it appears that Calvin Stern is already making his way to finding you." XANA said.

"See. I did enough to make him seek revenge." William said. "Isn't that also what you wanted? His emotional instability?"

"In that case, perhaps this would be the chance for you to redeem yourself." XANA said. "Go to him, break him, but keep him alive."

"It shall be done, Master." William Jr. said as he ran off and proceeded to find his adversary.

Meanwhile, Calvin was walking across the corridors of Sector 5 searching for William Jr. Just then the walls closed in on him and a shadowy figure emerged from nowhere.

"Looking for someone?" Calvin turned and saw that William Jr. had already found him.

"I'm looking for the one who tried to kill my mother." Calvin said.

"Well, you found him. Or rather, he found you." William Jr. said. "But no matter. I'll still have fun breaking you down once again."

"Enough talk! Fight me!" Calvin said swinging his staff. William Jr., once again, just dodged the attack and slashed Calvin across the chest with his blades.

"How often must I punish you for you to get the hint?" William Jr. said. "You can never defeat me."

"Until you realize that you're wrong." Calvin said getting up. "Not only wrong about stopping us, but wrong that XANA would bring back your brother."

"No!" William Jr. said striking him again. "XANA _will _bring him back. He can and he will. Now did you come here to fight or to lecture me?"

"To fight you!" Calvin exclaimed.

"Alright. Let's go." William Jr. said pulling out his blades. Calvin then charged forward with his staff in hand and swung towards him. William Jr. then flipped backwards, dodging the attack, and struck Calvin in the torso, causing him to cringe in pain.

"Perhaps I'm going to easy on you." William Jr. said. Just then, thick black strands of smoke appeared from his hands and attached themselves to his weapons. Now, it was as if William Jr. were holding a whip with a large blade at the end in each of his hands. Calvin just sat there wide-eyed.

"Surprised, I see." William Jr. said. "XANA was kind enough to lend me some of his gained strength which let me harness this ability with great ease."

Calvin just ignored him and charged toward him again.

"Such a stupid boy." William Jr. said calmly as he retracted the blades back to his hands and assumed a defensive position and blocked the attack.

* * *

Back on Earth, the rest of the gang had already made their way to the lab. Dennis sat down and tried to get into contact with Calvin. However, as he tried to set everything up, he noticed a big problem.

"No." Dennis said. "He didn't."

"What happened?" Ami asked. They looked and saw that Dennis's passwords for accessing the different programs were being denied. As if someone hacked it and changed the codes themselves.

"You don't think..." Antea said.

"Calvin, you stupid idiot!" Dennis shouted slamming his fists down. "He locked us out!"

"That was kinda redundant." Sam said.

"Now what do we do?" Ami asked.

"It shouldn't be too hard." Rumiko said. "We just need to think like Calvin."

* * *

On Lyoko, William Jr. was already getting the upper hand throughout the battle. Calvin knew that fighting him in this position was useless, so he hid behind a column and tried to regain his strength. However, William Jr. saw through this and immediately acted.

"You can't hide from me." William Jr. said.

He said lowering every column into the ground until they were standing in nothing but a blank field. He then shot out one of the strands of smoke at Calvin, but Calvin dodged and the knife hit the wall. Calvin then ran along the edge as William Jr. retracted the blade and shot out another strand. Eventually, Calvin was tiring out and couldn't run as fast. William Jr. then took advantage of this and struck Calvin in the leg, causing him to trip and fall to the ground, completely exhausted.

On Earth, the rest were already trying to figure out what the new password was. After several tries, they were all met with failure.

"I should've known he wouldn't make it too obvious." Dennis said. "By the time we find it out, he'll probably be dead."

"Dennis, if I may." Antea said. Dennis stepped aside as Antea typed rapidly on the keyboard. Just then, the programs opened up signaling that the password was indeed correct.

"Wow, Antea." Rumiko said. "So what was it?"

"You don't wanna know." She said. "It's a private joke between us."

"Alright, I'll get the program started up." Dennis said. "Let's just pray that Calvin's doing okay."

On Lyoko, Calvin was picked up and pinned against the wall by William Jr. as he proceeded to lay the final blows.

"Did you really think you could defeat me this easily?" William Jr. asked. He then punched him in the face.

"You are nothing compared to me." William Jr. then kneed him in the stomach, dropped him and kicked him repeatedly. He then took both of his blades and slammed them down towards Calvin, but Calvin stood up, grabbed his staff, and held him back with what little strength he had left.

"Don't bother to resist, Calvin." William Jr. said. "You're weak and worthless. Nothing but a lost child fighting a hopeless battle. I don't care how XANA wants you, I'll still kill you as you are." But before he could, the two found themselves disappearing.

* * *

Before they knew it, the were back in the scanner room. As William Jr. stepped out, he was ambushed by the rest of the gang and pinned to the ground. Ami then pinched the pressure points on his neck, knocking him out cold.

"Hey, guys. What brings you here." Calvin said. They just turned around and glared angrily at him. "What?"

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	32. Bittersweet Victory

_France 3 News Tonight._

_Breaking News._

"This just in." A newscaster said. "We have received reports that William Dunbar Jr., eldest son of Zanbato Publishers CEO William Dunbar Sr., was captured by a group of bystanders near an abandoned Renault factory and turned to local authorities. Mr. Dunbar is wanted for the attempted murder of Mrs. Yumi Stern just last night. He is also thought to be connected to the Cosa Nostra-led arson of the Ospedale S. Giovanni a few months ago. However, this has yet to be confirmed. Also captured were four men tied to the factory's bridge, also said by the captors, who requested to remain anonymous, to be involved with Mr. Dunbar's crimes. All five men are expected to be brought to court within 24 hours. Stay tuned for further updates."

* * *

At the police headquarters, the gang was sitting on one of the benches in the lobby while William Jr. was being interrogated. Calvin looked over at his friends, they just gave him an angry glance and turned back around.

"May I ask again what's wrong?" Calvin asked.

"Mr. Stern." The officer at the desk said. Calvin walked over to the desk. "You wanted to see Mr. Dunbar. Come with me."

In the interrogation room, the elder William and his wife were sitting at a table across from their son. William was speaking to him while his wife was softly crying with her eyes buried in her left hand.

"You're lucky you got off this easy." William said. "I can't say I'm proud of what you did. In fact, 'infuriated' doesn't even begin to describe it."

William Jr. just sat there with a pleasant smirk on his face.

"You deserve worse for what you did: Nearly killing me and your poor mother on separate occasions." William said. He then leaned up close to him. "You're no son of mine." William Jr. just laughed.

"I'll always be your son, father." William Jr. said. "Whether you like it or not, nothing will ever change that."

"I hope you rot slowly and painfully." William said. He then gestured toward his wife, who was still crying. "Come on, honey." They then left the room and Calvin entered in their place.

"Ah, Calvin." William Jr. said. "You know I have to admit, I didn't see that coming. Us being materialized and your friends ganging up on me, you know?"

"Neither did I." Calvin said. "But it no longer matters. With you out of the way, we won. It's over."

"It's far from over, I'm afraid." William Jr. said.

"Once we shut down the supercomputer, it will be." Calvin said. William Jr. then had a fit of laughter.

"My God, you are dense." He said. "Did you honestly think I was gonna make it that easy?"

"What do you mean?" Calvin said.

"I had part of my genetic coding taken and placed in the supercomputer with XANA." William Jr. said nonchalantly.

"What?" Calvin asked.

"You shut down the supercomputer and I die with it. Is that what you want?"

"No." Calvin said. He then slammed his fists down. "I'd rather kill you myself with my own bare hands! Just like I wanted to before!"

"Try me." William Jr. taunted. Calvin then ran over but William Jr. just grabbed Calvin and pinned him to the ground; one hand pinning his head and applying pressure to his wound, the other holding his arms behind his back.

"All you did was buy your friends time." William Jr. said. "I'll break out of jail and be back to continue where I left off, but next time I won't hesitate to finish you off." Just then, a police officer burst in and put a taser to William Jr., who then passed out.

"You okay, kid?" The officer asked.

"Yeah." Calvin said clutching the side of his head. "My head only hurts slightly because I just recovered from a minor concussion this morning."

"Oh? How did that happen?"

"Willy's thugs broke into our house last night and one of them hit me on the side of the head with a piece of our railing."

"Wait. That was your house that was broken into?"

"Yes." Calvin said. "And Yumi Stern is my mother."

"My condolences." The officer said. "Well, you have a safe night."

"Thanks, I'll try." Calvin said.

* * *

Calvin then walked out of the station and found his friends waiting for him.

"Well, bad news guys." Calvin said. "It turns out William Jr. had himself bounded to the supercomputer. If we shut it off, he dies along with XANA."

"Well that shouldn't be a problem." Dennis said. "Shut it off. You'll get what you wanted, after all."

"Okay, what's going on?" Calvin said.

"Oh nothing." Dennis said. "I also wanted to say I'm impressed with your hacking skills."

"Come again?"

"Don't play dumb, Calvin." Rumiko said. "We all know it was you who changed the password and locked us out of Lyoko."

"What were you thinking?" Sam asked. "I can't believe you would do something like that."

"I was thinking that you would come along and intervene." Calvin responded. "When this wasn't your battle."

"When a friend, especially my little brother, is in danger, every battle is our battle." Rumiko said.

"I told you not to go after him." Dennis said. "You're the one who didn't listen."

"Calvin, locking us out wasn't just wrong, it was dangerous." Ami said. "Had you been in a life or death situation with no chance of fighting your way out, we wouldn't have been there to help you."

"I can fight my own battles." Calvin said. "When I want your help, I'll gladly ask for it."

"We're a team, Calvin." Antea said. "We look out for each other, for better or worse."

"How are we supposed to work alongside someone who thinks mostly, if not only, for himself?" Sam asked.

"Effective now, and until further notice, you are banned from all Lyoko missions and Lyoko-related interactions with our group." Dennis said. "And I'm only saying 'until further notice' just to be polite. Your irrationality and selfishness in your actions are unspeakable. Come on guys."

"See you around, Cal." Sam said. Antea then turned around and faced him.

"I really wish this could've ended better for all of us." She said. She then turned back without another word and followed her friends back to the academy.

Dejected and depressed, Calvin just took the long way back. He had gotten what he wanted (almost), but made things much, much worse. The war was still on, but now there was nothing he could do.

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	33. Pre Game Shoutout

When Calvin returned to the academy, he looked around for his friends to see if he could talk to them. As he wandered the hallways, he managed to run into Jim.

"Calvin." He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just looking for my friends." Calvin said. "You wouldn't have happened to see Dennis, my sisters and my other friends, wouldn't you?"

"Of course. They're in the rec room." Jim said.

"Rec room?" Calvin asked.

"Yes." Jim said. "The team's throwing a pre-game party to celebrate making to our game with Carnot tomorrow night. You should join them."

"I don't know." Calvin said.

"C'mon, I can see you've been under a lot of stress lately." Jim said leading the way. "The least you can do is loosen up and have some fun."

"Alright." Calvin said as he made his way to the rec room. There he found the team enjoying themselves, listening to music and drinking punch. As Calvin made his way across, he managed to come across Dennis and company talking amongst themselves. Calvin then sat beside them.

"Hey guys." Calvin said. "What's new?" They didn't say anything; they just got up and moved to another part of the room.

"Sorry, Calvin." Ami said. "We're kinda talking about our next Lyoko strategy, and Dennis made me promise I wouldn't let you listen in. See you, Calvin."

Calvin just sat by himself, staring at the floor and not caring about his surroundings.

"Hey, what's up with Cal?" Tyson asked.

"He's probably still upset over his mother being in the hospital." Ian said. "Should we talk to him?"

"I don't see why not." Tyson said. The two then walked over to Calvin and spoke to him.

"Hey, Calvin." Ian said. "We're really sorry about what happened."

"Hmm?" Calvin asked.

"I wish your mother a speedy recovery." Tyson said. "It must be hard for someone like you to go through this."

"Oh, that." Calvin said. "I do appreciate your kind words. I'm just glad that the person who did this was brought to justice."

"That's the spirit." Ian said. "Hey, Dean Bouchard's appearing on the news in a few minutes for an interview and we're gonna boo at him every time he disparages Kadic. Wanna join?"

"No thanks." Calvin said. "Right now, I just wanna go outside and get some fresh air."

"Well at least have some punch." Tyson said. Calvin then poured himself a glass and stepped out the door. The team then turned on the news and watched the aforementioned interview.

* * *

As the team watched the news, Calvin just stood outside sipping his punch and staring into space. A few minutes later, it began to rain. It was a small drizzle and it didn't bother Calvin. In fact, it made him feel more at peace. As he felt the cool droplets fall on his head, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in the sounds of nature. Oh, peace and tranquility. He felt as if all his stress and frustration had left his body and was replaced by utter serenity. His moment of peace was interrupted, however, when he heard the door burst open.

"Cal, Dean's talking about you!" Owen shouted. "You do not wanna hear it."

Back in the rec room, the team was just standing there, watching Dean talking to a newscaster about the upcoming game.

"Now don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure they're good players." Dean said. "But the fact is that our team is far superior and not even the great Calvin Stern can compare to our boys." The team just booed when they heard this.

"Are you saying that even with their star player, Kadic is no match?" The interviewer asked.

"Seeing as we won against them in a ten-point shutout in the regular season, I say they're less than no match."

"But in that game, both Calvin and star defender Sven-Søren Hagensen were unable to play…"

"Two players do not make a team, Frank." Dean said. "Sure they may score a few goals this time, but the fact remains is that our team is still superior and facing Kadic is an insult to our talent."

"Oh, screw you!" Lance shouted.

"Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Calvin sat out of this game, too." Dean said.

"What do you mean?"

"You know his mother's in the hospital right?" Dean said. "With that on his mind, he'll be too distracted to play. I met Calvin once or twice and you'd be surprised over how sensitive he can be."

Calvin was gritting his teeth as he heard this.

"He'll just be moping over how is precious mommy can't watch her little boy play and end up letting his team down again." Dean said. "And then _she'll _be disappointed and probably end up casting him out. Hey, if she was unable to raise him to not be so sensitive to petty insults, she must not care much about him."

Calvin then squeezed his punch cup until it broke and punch spilled everywhere; Calvin was definitely fuming now.

"Allow me to step outside for a bit." Calvin said through gritted teeth and walked out the door.

"I'm sorry, Dean. Are you saying… Hold on, we're getting a call." The interviewer said as he put the caller on speaker. "Hello?"

"Yeah, it's Calvin Stern." The team was surprised. They then turned to see Calvin by the window with his cellphone. "Let me speak with Dean."

"Dean, it's for you." The interviewer said.

"Oh, hi Calvin." Dean said cheerfully. "How can I…"

Cut the crap, Bouchard!" Calvin shouted. "I heard every single word!"

"Oh?" Dean said.

"Now listen closely!" Calvin said turning around and gesturing at the TV through the window as the team watched. "Maybe you can call my team inferior. Maybe you can call me a has-been. Maybe you can say my team's better off without me because I'm 'too sensitive'. But you don't ever, EVER, talk about my family that way again, especially my mother! You caught me in a bad mood, and I won't just sit here and take crap from anybody! Especially from some snot-nosed, narcissistic, braggart who thinks he's better than everyone else just because he's a star player!"

Dean still kept his composure as the team watched in awe.

"And if you EVER talk that way about my family, if I ever catch you saying that, I will personally run down to Carnot, hunt you down, and kick your ass! You wanna taste of a Stern-led Kadic team? Well, you're getting it tomorrow night when we face you. And then we'll show you who the better team really is and why you never mess with Kadic! You got that?"

Everyone just stood there shocked. They never heard Calvin speak like that before. Even Yumi and Ulrich, who happened to be watching the interview, had their mouths open. The only person who didn't seem to be shocked was Dean.

"I'm trembling." He said sarcastically with that same stupid smirk on his face.

"I hope so." Calvin said hanging up.

"Can we cut to a commercial?" The interviewer said as they went off air and the commercials began playing.

* * *

When Calvin walked back inside, he saw the entire team clapping and cheering him for his performance.

"Alright, Calvin!" Lance said. "You are awesome!"

"I'm sorry, but that was so cool!" Sam said.

"Calvin, I'm so proud of you." Rumiko said jumping on him and hugging him.

"Calvin, are you sure you should be playing?" Ami asked. "I mean, you did just recover from a concussion."

"Ami's right." Dennis said. "As your assistant coach, I suggest you get an examination before the game."

"How about tonight?" Calvin said.

"Don't see why not." Calvin then made his way to the infirmary as the team continued to applaud him.

"Five euros says this newscast will become a new internet meme." Sam said to Dennis.

"And by saying that, you just killed a potential internet meme." Dennis said. "Pay up."

* * *

After a few minutes, Calvin was sitting on one of the infirmary beds as Nurse Yolanda was examining the side of his head.

"Well, this doesn't look too bad." She said. "Just a gash on the side that's already making good healing progress."

"So can he play?" Jim, who had tagged along, asked.

"Have you had any feelings of dizziness and lethargy?" Yolanda asked

"Not recently." Calvin answered. "Only like just after I regained consciousness."

"Any headaches?"

"Not too frequent." Calvin said. "Just once or twice per day, and they go away pretty quickly."

"I see no reason why he shouldn't play for at least part of the game." Yolanda said. "But if he starts slowing down or it looks like he's experiencing any symptoms, don't hesitate to pull him out."

"Understood." Jim said.

"Calvin, make sure that if you feel dizzy or feel any pain, you tell the coach right away."

"Yes, Ma'am." Calvin said as he and Jim walked out.

"Hey, Stern." Jim called. Calvin then turned around.

"Nice job." He said giving him a thumbs-up.

"Thanks." Calvin said as he headed up to his room to get some well deserved rest. Tomorrow was a big day, and he needed just as much rest as he could.

* * *

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	34. The Big Game Part 1

The following morning, Calvin woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He just pressed the snooze button and got out of bed. He then proceeded to the closet to look for what to wear for the day. He immediately grabbed the tuxedo he had hanging up and took that with him. He then felt the side of his head and, knowing his wound had most likely healed by now, took off his bandage and threw it away.

"Nice to see you up and about." He heard Sam say. "Well, today's the big day: Our game against Carnot."

"Yep." Calvin said. Sam then noticed the tuxedo he was carrying.

"So, what's the occasion?" Sam asked. "With the fancy apparel I mean."

"I have to show up for William Jr.'s court hearing this afternoon, so I need to look my best." Calvin said. "Remember, I was a victim, so their probably gonna call me up as an eyewitness. Hey, can I borrow your pomade?"

"Absolutely. Spring Green or Turbulence?"

"Do you have any unscented brands?" Calvin asked.

"I have petroleum jelly." Sam said tossing him a can of that.

"That'll do."

"Just put it on after your shower for best results."

"Gotcha." Calvin said as the two headed out and to the showers.

* * *

As soon as they finished, they got dressed and headed down to the cafeteria and to their usual place where the others were waiting.

"Morning guys." Dennis said. "Wow Calvin, you look sharp."

"Thanks." Calvin said. "It's for Willy's court hearing."

"Would you mind leaving now?" Rumiko asked. "We're just about to talk about our next Lyoko mission and, well you know…"

"You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you?" Calvin asked.

"Sorta." Sven-Søren said. "We'll let you know when you can join."

"Very well." Calvin said. "By the way, Rumiko, have you heard back from the college you applied to yet?"

"Not yet." Rumiko said. "I'd better get in, though. I put a lot of effort in those exams."

"Well, good luck." Calvin said. "And Dennis, make sure you use that playbook for tonight."

"Not gonna happen." Dennis said.

"Fine. Play your way." Calvin said.

* * *

He then walked away with his food and walked over to the table where the rest of the soccer team was sitting. They were talking amongst themselves about the big game when Calvin interrupted.

"Mind if I sit with you guys?" Calvin asked.

"Not at all." Lance said. "After that stunt you pulled, it would be criminal not to let you."

"Well thanks." Calvin said as he sat down. "So, you all excited for the big game?"

"Oh, definitely." Tyson said. "Sam told us you had this big plan for defeating Carnot."

"Yeah, but Dennis isn't too keen on using it." Calvin said. "I kinda betrayed his trust not too long ago."

"Is that why you aren't sitting with him and talking about your blocks, mega tanks and XANA?" Lance asked

"You know about that?" Calvin asked.

"Duh. You guys talk about it all the time."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Ian asked.

"It's a role-playing game we're creating." Calvin lied. "You're in a virtual world and you have to deactivate these towers to stop attacks on the real world."

"Almost like your Dad's book." Owen said.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be based off of it." Calvin said. "Well, I gotta get going now."

"Hey, you'll be back in time for the game, right?" Lance asked.

"Oh, definitely." Calvin said. "The hearing shouldn't take too long."

* * *

As the morning passed, Calvin had his lunch and waited out in the parking lot for his father to pick him up. After a few minutes, he arrived and Calvin got in the car as they drove to the courthouse. A few hours had passed before the hearing came to an end, with mixed results, and Calvin and Ulrich drove away.

"You know, Calvin." Ulrich said. "We still have a few hours before the game. Do you wanna stop by the hospital and visit your mother?"

"Sure." Calvin asked. "I have no other plans."

With that they headed off to the hospital. After a few minutes, they parked and walked over to the front desk. They then walked up to the room and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Yumi asked.

"It's me, Ulrich." Ulrich said.

"Come in." Yumi said. Ulrich opened the door as he and Calvin walked in. "Calvin. What are you doing here?"

"I figured since that the hearing exhausted all my remaining school time and the game doesn't start for a while, I'd come and see you."

"Well, that's very sweet of you." Yumi said. "How did the hearing go?"

"He got 15 for the attempted murder, 10 for his cronies, but there wasn't any direct evidence that could be used to convict him for the hospital fire, so those charges were dropped." Calvin said. "But enough about me. How are you?"

"Just fine, actually." Yumi said. "I should be out of the hospital tomorrow morning."

"That's great!" Calvin said. "You'll be watching the game, right? Because it is being televised."

"Of course." Yumi said. "Hey Calvin, can we talk?"

"Umm… okay." Calvin said.

"We saw the news report last night." Ulrich said. "The one where you told Dean off."

"Oh yeah, that." Calvin said.

"I just want you to know we're very proud of you to stand up for your mother like that." Ulrich said.

"Yes." Yumi said. "And Calvin."

"Hmm?"

"I have never, ever thought you were anything less than the brilliant, talented kid you are now." Yumi said. "And I never will."

"I know, Mom." Calvin said.

"Even if you lose tonight, you're no worse than I thought you were when I gave birth to you." Yumi said hugging her son.

"Thanks, Mom." Calvin said returning the hug.

"Alright, I'm gonna head back to the dojo now." Ulrich said. "Which means, Calvin, I'll be dropping you back at the school."

"Okay then." Calvin said. "See you, Mom."

"Good luck, Sweetie." Yumi said as they walked out.

* * *

Calvin then returned to the school and told his sisters about how the hearing went. Afterwards, he went up to his dorm room, changed out of his tux and washed the petroleum jelly out of his hair. He then put on his soccer clothing and went out to the field. This was a big game, so he needed all the practice he could get.

An hour had passed and Calvin was on the field doing stretches. Jim had come up to the field and talked to him.

"Bus is leaving any minute." He said. "Are you coming?"

"Of course." Calvin said. He then got up and headed to the bus that was waiting by the front gate. He then got on and took a seat as the bus headed off. As Calvin sat by himself and stared out the window, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Calvin turned around and saw Sam standing by him.

"Anyone sitting here?" He asked.

"No, go ahead." Calvin said as Sam sat down beside him. As the trip went on, Sam noticed Calvin loudly and quickly drumming his fingers against the window, as if he was trying so hard to keep his mind of something.

"What's the matter?" Sam asked. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, I am a bit nervous, actually." Calvin said.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Sam said. "You'll do great out there."

"Well, if Dennis would just listen to me and follow through with my plan, we'd have a much better chance."

"Well, who knows?" Sam said. "He gets pretty desperate if we're losing badly at the end of the first quarter. He'll probably use your strategy in the event of that happening."

"Okay."

"But you still have to do your best out there." Sam said. "He can tell when you're faking it."

"Right." Calvin said. "Hey, you know Dean's dating your sister, right?"

"So that's where I heard that name before." Sam said.

Just then, the bus pulled up to the front of Lycee Carnot and the team got out and headed to the visitor's locker room.

* * *

In Carnot's locker room, Dean and his team were already talking about whether or not Kadic should be viewed as a threat.

"We shouldn't even be playing." Dean said. "The end result is just too obvious. We should be in the championship by now."

"Well, we haven't won yet." Kyo said.

"But we will." Dean said. "No denying that."

"I don't think we should be taking this too lightly." Kyo said.

"I concur." Benedict said. "They did make it this far, after all."

"That will do." Alex said. "If Dean says it'll be easy, then it'll be easy. With a team like Kadic, I have to agree with him."

"Well, he hasn't lost a game yet." Nikolai said.

"Exactly." Kjeld said. "Carnot's never lost a game with Dean. Why would we lose now?"

"I never lose." Dean said. "I never lost in my life."

"You see." Alex said. "We'll be just fine."

"If you say so." Romero said.

"We're a team, though." Manuel said. "No matter how much Dean has done for us, we still have to hold up our end."

"Hands in, Team." Dean said as they placed their hands in the center.

"1…2…3…GO EAGLES!" They shouted lifting their hands in the air. They then walked out the locker room and to the field. Dean turned and saw his girlfriend, Sammy, was waiting by the door. Dean then turned around and went to her.

"Knock 'em dead, Macho Man." She said to him.

"Oh we will, Baby Doll." Dean said as the two kissed.

"You coming or what?" Kyo asked.

"Alright, I'm coming." Dean said as he caught up to the rest.

As the two teams entered the field, they were met with loud cheers of the crowd, most from Carnot but some from Kadic. Calvin turned to see his father in the front row and his sisters in their cheerleading uniforms standing by him. Calvin took his position on the field, directly across from Dean.

"Ready for this?" Calvin asked.

"Ready to lose?" Dean asked.

"I know you are." Calvin responded.

"Then I guess you have nothing to worry about." Dean said.

The referee blew his whistle; the game had begun.

* * *

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	35. The Big Game Part 2

"Good evening, Kadic Academy." Ami said in front of a camera that was held in front of her. "Well, tonight's the big night; the night you've all been waiting for: The semifinal game against the Greywolves' biggest rivals, the undefeated Carnot Eagles. "

"The biggest story today is the return of star striker, Calvin Stern. Out on a suspension the first round and gone for unknown reasons the second, Calvin is now making his first post-season appearance this year and right after recovering from a concussion."

"Last time these two teams met, Both Calvin and Sven-Søren Hagensen were unable to play, which led to Kadic's 10-0 loss in only the first half. But they're both in now, so it's going to be one heck of a game. Now we enter the kickoff in what is to be a momentous game. Ami Stern. Kadic News."

* * *

The game began with Calvin getting the ball away from Dean and running off to the other side of the field. Calvin then saw that Sam was open and passed the ball to him. But as he did, Benedict came out of nowhere and stole the ball away as it was being passed. As he ran down the field, he passed the ball to Dean, who passed it to Alex, who shot the ball into the goal net, past the goalkeeper and scored the first point. Carnot was now leading 1-0.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Calvin said. "I definitely didn't see it coming."

The team then retook their positions on the field as the ball was placed back in the center.

"Impressed yet?" Dean asked Calvin.

"Intrigued." Calvin said. "But not impressed."

The whistle then blew. This time, Dean got the ball and sprinted down the field. He then passed the ball to Kyo, in an attempt to get it away from the oncoming defenders, and Kyo passed it back to Dean when it was clear. Dean then made the shot, but was blocked by Tyson. Tyson then kicked the ball to the other side of the field where it was stopped by Romero. As Romero ran with the ball, he passed it to Manuel who made an impressive kick from halfway across the field to the opposing goal. At first, it appeared that Tyson had blocked the shot. However, the referee called it a goal.

"The ball passed the goal line before it was blocked." He announced. "Point: Carnot. 2-0."

The Kadic side in the bleachers just booed when they heard this as the Carnot side cheered. Romero and Manuel bumped fists, congratulating each other for their effort. Lance then ran over to the referee and began arguing with him. He kept insisting the shot was indeed blocked, but the ref wouldn't buy it. He then pulled out a yellow card on Lance and he just walked off, still angry. Calvin then called a timeout and the team huddled up and talked about their next strategy.

"Don't worry, team." Calvin said. "We're only down by two points."

"With ten left in the quarter." Sam said. "And we haven't broken through their defenses once."

"Then we'll just have to be just as defensive." Calvin said. "After all, the best offence is a good defense; once you see a blind spot in their position, we go for it."

"Right." The team said as they retook their positions. The ref then blew the whistle and Dean had the ball with him. However, the defenders just scattered all over in an attempt to overwhelm him. Under pressure, Dean made a shot to Kadic's goal, but it bounced off the top bar and Kadic gained control.

Calvin, with the ball, ran down the field with the other defenders beside him. He then passed the ball to Sam, taking advantage of his teammate's speed and agility, who ran past every opposing defender and made a shot at the goal. Nikolai, the goalkeeper, then blocked the shot. However, the ball just bounced back onto the field, which Calvin took possession of and made a second attempt which was successful. Kadic had scored 2-1.

The crowd cheered for Kadic as the Carnot team left to the side for a quick huddle.

"They certainly seem to be a formidable opponent." Kjeld said. "Normally, we'd be leading by 4 by this time."

"So they get one goal. Big deal." Dean said. "We've allowed goals before. It just means we need to put ourselves in full gear."

"Agreed." Alex said. "Now let's really punish him."

"GO EAGLES!" The team shouted as they walked back on the field for the next kickoff. The ball was placed on the field. The referee blew the whistle.

Calvin grabbed the ball and headed down the field. As he was running, a quick flash of something appeared before his eyes and a sharp pain entered the side of his head; the place where he was hit. Calvin just paused and clutched the side of his head as Dean grabbed the ball and made a shot for his team, putting the score 3-1.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"I dunno." Calvin said. "It's probably just the glare from one of the spotlights that threw me off."

"Well, try and focus." Sven-Søren said. "Remember, we still have a game to win."

Calvin nodded. The teams just continued going at each other. Goals were scored. Shots were blocked. The ball just continued to fly from team to team as the rest of the quarter breezed by. Eventually, the quarter ended with both teams still strong, but Carnot was leading 5-2 at the end. The teams then took a break and retired to their locker rooms. Calvin first went over to the bleachers.

* * *

"We're getting creamed out there, aren't we Dad?" Calvin asked Ulrich.

"Now, don't you worry about that." Ulrich said. "You still have plenty of time to catch up."

"Dad's right." Ami said. "Right now, you just get ready for the next quarter."

"Yeah, you're right." Calvin said. "Hopefully we can catch up by the end of the half."

Calvin then walked over to the locker room. He then saw Dennis and Jim talking to the team about what to improve.

"If I may interject." Owen said. "Calvin told us about a flawless strategy that could help us. Perhaps we should…"

"Out of the question!" Dennis said. "What Calvin has found is of little relevance."

"It's of complete relevance!" Lance said. "If he says he has a plan, we should try it."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Dennis said. "Jim, back me up."

"You should give your teammate and friend a chance." Jim said.

"Agreed." Sam said. "He may have let us down before, but if he really wants to make it up, so be it."

"Fine." Dennis sighed. He then turned to face Calvin. "You got your wish. But this better work."

"It will." Calvin said. He then sat down with the rest of his team and refreshed himself. He knew that his second quarter would go much better for his team.

* * *

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	36. The Big Game Part 3

The next quarter began. The teams then lined up on the field and took their places.

"Calvin, can we talk?" Lance asked walking up to him. Calvin then turned around. "It's about your strategy."

"What about it?" Calvin asked.

"It just seems kinda screwy." He said. "Most of it involves aiming towards Carnot. I'm sorry, but where's the logic in that?"

"It's all part of the plan." Calvin said. "Trust me."

"You better not let us down." Lance said. They then got ready for the next quarter to kickoff. Dennis and Jim were in the sidelines discussing the plan that Calvin had made.

"So, what does it look like?" Jim asked.

"We're dead." Dennis said pessimistically.

"Well, let's just see." Jim said. The whistle blew; the ball went to Kadic's side.

Calvin ran down the field with the ball and passed it to Lance. Lance, seeing Alex in front of him, turned to Calvin giving him an unsure look; Calvin just nodded. Lance then kicked the ball to Calvin, but he didn't just kick it: With the side of his foot, he kicked the ball at such a sharp angle, it gave Alex the illusion that the ball was heading towards him. He just reached out and swatted the ball away with his hand. The whistle blew.

The crowd gasped. Even Dennis was somewhat surprised. The referee then came out and presented a yellow card to Alex for the handball.

"What did you do that for, man?" Kjeld asked.

"I…I don't know." Alex said. "What else was I supposed to do? It was coming right at me."

"It was coming nowhere _near_ you!" Benedict shouted.

"Calvin, how did you know that was gonna happen?" Lance asked.

"Alex always has the best reflexes, but they only serve as a fatal flaw when given the right situation." Calvin said.

"Alex DuMott called for handball." The referee said. "Kadic is allowed one penalty shot."

The Kadic side of the bleachers cheered. Lance then lined up in the penalty area; it was just him and Nikolai now. Lance's first instinct was to kick the ball to the lower corners. However, despite his instincts, Lance followed through with Calvin's plans and kicked it upwards. Nikolai, immediately assuming it would reach below him, darted to the ground while the ball sailed above him and went into the net. The score was now 5-3. Nikolai just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Ah, I get it now." Dennis said.

"What?" Jim asked.

"He's taking advantage of their instincts."

"Calvin, that was so impressive." Sam said. "How did you know that would happen?"

"Magic." Calvin said sarcastically. "No. Due to Nikolai's mammoth height, no player would ever think of shooting up. Because of this, he's grown so accustomed to aiming low."

"I see." Ian said. "So we should keep aiming up?"

"No. Keep it an even balance." Calvin said. "Otherwise, he'll catch on."

They then continued with the rest of the game. Throughout the quarter, Kadic was getting the upper hand. They were scoring more goals and blocking more shots. Kadic retained possession of the ball for most of the quarter, while Carnot was constantly on the defense. Eventually, the score was tied 6-6 with only ten seconds left in the half; Calvin had the ball as was running alongside his defenders. As he got in close proximity, he was able to kick the ball right between the legs of the opposing defender and to the side bar, where it ricocheted off and went into the net, putting Kadic in the lead 6-7 while the clock expired.

"I don't believe it!" Ami reported. "For the first time this season, Carnot has lost the lead. We've only reached halftime and already our school is showing these rising stars why we're the national champs. The teams will retire to their locker rooms for a half-hour to discuss their next strategies while the cheering teams, including myself, will kick off the halftime show. Ami Stern. Kadic News."

* * *

In Kadic's locker room, the team was celebrating over their advantage over Carnot.

"Calvin, you're a genius!" Dennis said excitedly. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah." Sam said. "It's like you saw the game ahead of time and knew exactly what was gonna happen."

"Oh, it was nothing." Calvin said. "It's just basic trigonometry. Anyways, let's not get too cocky."

"Calvin's right." Dennis said. "After all, we still have another half left."

"Right, now…" Calvin said. Just then another split-second flash entered his eyes and another sharp pain entered his head. Only this time, Calvin could make out part of it.

"Calvin, are you alright?" Sam asked as Calvin fell to the ground clutching the side of his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Calvin said getting up. "For…For a second, I thought I saw William Jr. and he…"

"Calvin, maybe you should sit out for at least this quarter." Dennis said.

"I'll be fine, Dennis." Calvin said still clutching his head. "Do you have one of those instant cold packs?"

"Sure, but I really…"

"Thanks." Calvin said taking the pack at squeezing it. He then placed it on the side of his head.

* * *

In Carnot's locker room, the team was already expressing their disappointment.

"How is this possible?" Manuel said slamming his fist against the locker. "How have we allowed ourselves to fall so greatly?"

"Perhaps we really did underestimate our opponent." Romero said.

"Guys, come on." Dean said nonchalantly. "You're overreacting. I already have a plan that'll guarantee us our victory."

"Oh?" Kjeld asked.

"Yep." Dean said. "All I had to do was to convince the coach to bench all you guys."

"You what?" Benedict shouted.

"I'm sorry but are you crazy?" Kyo said.

"That's enough." Alex said. "Who are you to question Dean?"

"Thanks." Dean said "As I was saying: Most of you guys have already accumulated one yellow card. One more exploited mistake and you'll be out with _no _substitutes. Plus, they never faced our substitutes, so they won't know what to expect."

"Well yeah, but..."

"I'm glad you all agree." Dean said. "Now if you excuse me, I have a game to win."

* * *

"And were back with the start of the second half of this exciting game." Ami said. "Kadic currently leads the game 6-7 and I tell you, they were dominating this last quarter. Now the two teams will come out and… Wait a minute. It seems as if Carnot has brought in a new line up. I'm going to assume the rest of the team is sick and/or injured, otherwise this just doesn't seem like a good choice."

"What is he doing?" Sam asked.

"He knows about our plan." Lance said. "He's bringing out players that we have no idea about." Calvin just chuckled a bit to himself.

"Dean, you are so naïve." He said to himself.

The kickoff began and Dean got the ball. The teams ran down the field try as hard as they could to keep the ball away from the others. Kadic, who were oblivious to the playing styles of all but one of their opponents, saw their offence being overwhelmed a bit. However, their defense was just as strong against their opponent's inferior offense. In the last seconds of the 3rd quarter, Calvin found himself with the ball and heading down to the field. But, again, a similar flash and stabbing headache appeared before him and Calvin ended up losing possession. One of the defenders then took the ball and sprinted down the field. He then kicked hard and made a goal. However, the ref blew his whistle, signaling something was afoul.

"Offsides." He said. "Goal declined. End of 3rd quarter."

"Phew." Dennis said. The team then went back to the locker rooms to refresh themselves.

"Hey Cal, can we talk?" Jim said.

"What's going on?" Calvin asked.

"I've noticed you've been clutching your head quite a bit. Is everything alright?"

"Just a few headaches." Calvin said. "Nothing serious."

"Well, you do remember what the nurse said." Jim said. "I'm going to require that you sit out of this last quarter."

"What?" Calvin asked. "But, sir. The plan requires that I…"

"You have a choice to make." Jim said. "Your body or a game. And I'm going to make you choose the former. Got it?"

"And Calvin." Dennis said. "Look at Dean." Calvin saw that Dean's smile had faded quite a bit.

"He's nervous." Dennis said. "He doesn't know what to do. This is our chance to hold them off."

Calvin just nodded as he sat on the bench.

* * *

Final quarter. The teams went back to the field and the next kickoff began. Calvin's replacement got the ball and sprinted down the field. However, as he made the shot, it missed and went out of bounds. Dean was now in possession of the ball as he plowed through the field with his defenders and made a powerful shot that slipped through Tyson's hands. The score was now tied 7-7.

"Yeah!" Dean said pumping his fist in the air.

Next kickoff. Kadic, again, was able to get the ball. However, Calvin's replacement made several mistakes on the field causing him to lose control of the ball again. The ball went back and forth, back and forth. Eventually, with two minutes left, Dean stole the ball away and made another successful shot, putting them ahead 8-7.

Kadic was devastated. They had lost the lead they had held onto for so long. Jim then called a timeout and the team went to the sidelines.

"Alright guys." He said. "We have two minutes. That's plenty of time to make those goals up."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Owen asked.

"If I may." Calvin said. "I have an idea. You won't even have to put me in."

"Sounds reasonable." Dennis said.

"So, what is it?" The team then huddled together as Calvin told them the plan.

"And you're sure this'll work?" Sam asked confused.

"Trust me." Calvin said giving a quick smile. The team then went back on the field. As the last two minutes wound down, both teams were trying as hard as they could to keep the other from scoring. As soon as Kadic got the ball, they ran down the field and, with 30 seconds left, made a shot that wasn't all that intense. However, the goalie, anticipating a much harder shot, just jumped in the air blocking the ball that wasn't there as it just rolled underneath him. Kadic cheered as the score was now 8-8.

Dean wasn't the last bit happy over this rookie mistake. He then ran over to his goalie.

"How did you miss that?" He shouted. "That was an easy goal!"

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't be sorry!" Dean said. "You'd just better get us through overtime or I won't even let you _attend_ our next games!"

"Dean, I don't think…OW!" Dean just kneed him in the stomach, shutting him up. But it didn't matter; everyone saw everything. The ref then blew his whistle and ran over to Dean; he then pulled out a red card on him. Dean was suspended.

The Carnot side just booed and the coach and benched starting line just gave him cold, angry stares as he sat down beside him.

"Dean Bouchard has been suspended for the rest of the game." The ref said. "Kadic will now take one penalty shot."

"You hear that?" Sam asked excited. "We could win this thing after all."

"And we owe it all to you." Dennis said. "Care to do the honors?"

"Can I, Jim?" Calvin asked. Jim just nodded.

"Calvin, how did you know?" Lance asked.

"Dean forgot the most important rule of any sport." Calvin said. "The starting lineup always has all the best players. If he benched them all, he wouldn't have all his trump cards to help him."

"And the tying goal?" Sven-Søren asked.

"Make an intentionally weak shot as your desperation shot and he'll overreact since those types of shots are normally so strong; it's a common rookie mistake."

"Dean assaulting his goalie?" Sam asked.

"Okay, I didn't know _that _was going to happen." Calvin said. "But he did seem pretty stressed."

Calvin then walked out onto the field preparing to make his shot. Since the goalie was too hurt to continue, Nikolai was brought in his place. Calvin just smiled. Too predictable.

Calvin just closed his eyes for a second. Immediately, he sprang forward and kicked the ball. As hard as he could, Nikolai tried to block it, but he was too late. The ball went in; the score was now 8-9. Kadic had won.

All of Kadic was cheering ever so loudly, as the rest of the team ran out to the field to celebrate. Jim was given a Gatorade bath and the entire team was dog piling on Calvin.

"You've seen it here, folks!" Ami shouted. "Kadic has just done the impossible. After coming from behind, they have defeated the Carnot Eagles and will be advancing to their third consecutive national championship!"

As the team got off of him, Calvin just walked to the edge of the field and saw all the people cheering for him. Calvin then felt something warm roll down his face; he was crying tears of joy. It was happiness he had never felt before, and he liked it. Just then he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned around and saw his father and sisters standing by him.

"You did it, Calvin." Rumiko said.

"We did it as a team, Rumiko." Calvin said wiping the tears from his eyes. "I just came up with the plan."

"Either way, Kiddo, we're so proud of you." Ulrich said hugging him. "Even in my prime, I don't think I could've done what you did out there."

"Not to mention you pretty much destroyed Carnot's, as well as Dean's, reputation." Rumiko added.

"So, you wanna catch a ride with us, or what?" Ami asked.

"Actually, I think I'll take the bus back." Calvin said. "The team's probably expecting me to ride with them."

"Okay then." Ulrich said. "We'll see you soon."

* * *

Calvin then walked to the front lot where the team's bus was. As Calvin walked on, the entire team was just chanting his name and applauding as he tried to find a seat. He then sat down and the bus took off. After a few minutes, through all the noise, Calvin managed to fall asleep and stayed asleep for the remainder of the trip. When they arrived, Sam went over to Calvin and woke him up.

"Hey, Calvin." He said shaking him. "Buddy, wake up."

"Hmm?" Calvin said turning around and yawning.

"Have a nice nap?" Sam asked. "Come on. The team's in the rec room celebrating. Wanna join?"

"I suppose." Calvin said. "But if I fall asleep, let me sleep."

"Got it."

The duo then went down to the rec room and joined in on the festivities. The party went on for quite a while and Calvin found himself crashing out on one of the couches. True to his word, Sam made sure that nobody disturbed him (he could sleep through all the partying in the background, but not if they were any closer to him). Eventually the party ended and the team went to their dorms. Jim carried Calvin up as Sam followed him. Calvin was placed on his bed while Sam got himself ready and fell asleep. It was indeed a tiring, yet enjoyable, night.

* * *

Please Review.


	37. Post Game

It was the next day. Sam was already out of bed and getting dressed and other things. Calvin, on the other hand, was still dead asleep from last night. Sam decided it was best to give his best friend a proper wake-up call. Della Robbia style.

"Rise and shine, buddy!" Sam said pouncing on him. Calvin immediately woke up.

"What the hell, Sam?" Calvin said angrily pushing his friend off of him. "What was that all about?"

"I thought I'd wake you up." Sam said. "You don't wanna be late, do you?"

"It's Sunday!" Calvin shouted. "As in no classes today."

"Yeah, but aren't you and Rumiko going to help your Dad out at the dojo today?"

"Oh crap, you're right." Calvin said. Ulrich and Yumi's dojo was getting new student from a local elementary school as part of a school program and Calvin and Rumiko had promised they would stick around and help out. "I gotta get my stuff together."

He then went over to his dresser and picked out what clothes to wear, only to find that all his underwear was torn to shreds.

"Sam!" Calvin shouted. "Did you let your dog sleep in my underwear drawer again?"

"Maybe." Sam said guiltily. "But it's no big deal, you can wear mine."

* * *

Calvin just shuddered. Nevertheless, the two got themselves ready and went downstairs to meet the rest.

"Hey guys." Calvin said. The rest said nothing. "Alright then, I guess I'll be heading out."

"Actually, Cal." Dennis said. "Why don't you sit with us?"

"You really mean it?" Calvin asked.

"Of course." Dennis said. "I owe you for last night."

"Well thanks." Calvin said as he sat down next to them. "You know, I hope there are no hard feelings now about…"

"You're still banned from the group." Dennis said.

"I know." Calvin said.

"Hey, Calvin." Antea said. "I just wanna say you were very impressive out there."

"Yeah really, Calvin." Sven-Søren said. "I never got the chance to congratulate you for getting us this far."

"So who are you guys playing in the finals and when?" Ami asked.

"Henri IV." Dennis said. "In three days."

"Are they tough?" Calvin asked.

"They're supposed to be second to Carnot." Dennis said. "So you could say that."

"If that's true, then with us beating Carnot would mean we'd have no problem beating Herni IV." Sam said.

"He makes a good point." Rumiko said.

"Either way, we should expect a tough competition." Dennis said. "After all, they made it this far."

"Or Calvin can write another one of his fancy math problems." Sam said.

"I most certainly can't." Calvin said. "I haven't seen then play all season, so I don't even know what I should be expecting."

"Hi guys." They turned around to see Yumi standing by the table.

"Mom!" The Stern siblings shouted as they ran over and hugged their mother.

"Hey, you three." She said. "How are you?"

"Doing great." Ami said.

"Did you see the game, Mom?" Calvin asked.

"Yes I did and I'm so proud of you." Yumi said hugging him.

"Thanks Mom." Calvin said.

"By the way Rumiko, this came for you." Yumi said handing her an envelope. Rumiko then looked at it and noticed the postmark.

"It's from the college I applied to."

"Well, open it." Yumi said.

"Why bother?" Rumiko said. "It's probably just another rejection letter."

"You don't know that." Calvin said.

"Very well." Rumiko then opened the letter. As she read what was inside her eyes began to widen.

"Rumiko?" Yumi asked.

"I got accepted." Rumiko said quietly.

"What?" Calvin asked.

"I got accepted!" Rumiko shouted. "I'm going to college!"

"Really?" Yumi said happily.

"Rumiko, that's great!" Dennis said running over and hugging her. "You hear that? My girlfriend's going to college!"

The rest of the table and even the table the team sat at just cheered loudly.

"Rumiko, this is so great." Yumi said hugging her.

"Yeah, it really is." Ami said.

"Thanks guys." Rumiko said.

"Hey Ami." Ami turned around to see the advisor for the school newspaper.

"Oh, Ms. Hancock." Ami said. "What brings you here?"

"Well, Anna came in to my class today showing me the various reports you did for the sports matches."

"Oh?" Ami asked.

"After looking at those and the rest of your yearly resume, I think Anna and I have made our best choice."

"You mean…?" Ami gasped.

"Starting next year, you're our new editor-in-chief." Ms. Hancock said.

"Congratulations, Ami." Anna said.

Ami was speechless. The rest of her family just came over to her.

"Congratulations, Sweetie." Yumi said hugging her.

"I guess that makes all of us." Calvin said.

"What do you mean?" Rumiko asked.

"We all accomplished incredibly good things." Calvin said. "Me getting our team to the finals again, Rumiko going to college and Ami getting her editor-in-chief position."

"And believe me, you all deserve a celebration." Yumi said. "But right now, it's off to drop you and Rumiko off at the dojo. We don't wanna keep our new students waiting."

"Agreed." Rumiko said

"You got your outfits, right?" Yumi asked. Rumiko and Calvin nodded as the three went with her to the car and drove off.

* * *

After driving for a half-hour, they arrived at the dojo. They walked inside and found Ulrich already practicing his moves.

"Hey Dad." Rumiko said. "The dance academy's down the street."

"Very funny, Rumiko." Ulrich said.

"Hi Dad." Calvin said.

"Hey Champ." Ulrich said. "How's it going?"

"Not bad." Calvin said. "How long until the new kids get here?"

"About five minutes." Ulrich said. "You'd better go get changed."

"Can do." Calvin said as he and Rumiko went into the bathrooms to get their outfits on.

"By the way, Ulrich." Yumi said. "Rumiko has something she wants to tell you."

"Have her tell me after class." Ulrich said. "I want it to be a surprise."

"I'll make sure she gets the message."

After a few minutes, Calvin and Rumiko came back out wearing their Pencak Silat clothing. In the main dojo, the kids that were being given the lessons had already arrived and Yumi and Ulrich were already briefing them.

"Alright, first things first." Ulrich said. "Boys. You'll stay here with me and my son; you'll address me as Sensei Ulrich and my son as Kohai Calvin. Girls. You'll go with Sensei Yumi and Senpai Rumiko over there into the other room."

The girls then walked over to Yumi and Rumiko as the boys stayed where they were. One of the boys walked over to Calvin and just stared at him.

"Can I help you?" Calvin asked.

"You're Calvin Stern, aren't you?" He asked.

"I am." Calvin said. "Why do you…?"

"Landon, come over here!" The kid shouted as he ran off and came back dragging an older kid with him. "See? See? It's Calvin Stern! The soccer player! See, Landon? See?"

"Woah." The kid known as Landon said.

"We're huge fans!" The first kid said. "I'm Chris. This is my big brother, Landon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Calvin said.

"You rock, man!" Landon said. "Thanks for beating that jerk Dean for us."

"You know Dean?" Calvin asked.

"Know him?" Chris asked. "He pushed me to the ground and stole my lunch money the day before the game."

"Oh my." Calvin said.

"Hey Calvin." Ulrich said. "You can chat later. Right now, you're here to give these kids a lesson."

"Sorry, Dad." Calvin said.

"Landon, you come with me." Ulrich said. "Calvin, you can be Chris's teacher."

"Yes Dad." Calvin said.

"Wow, a Pencap Seal lesson from Calvin Stern." Chris said. "I must be the luckiest kid alive."

"It's Pencak Silat." Calvin corrected. "Okay, the first thing you need to do is get yourself in stance. It's important you keep yourself on the defensive and with good balance. Now watch what I do."

* * *

The lessons continued throughout the evening. Eventually, all the kids went home and the Stern family drove back to the school. On the way there, Ulrich remembered what he had heard Yumi tell him.

"So, Rumiko." He said. "You mother tells me you have something you wanna tell me."

"Yeah." Rumiko said. "Ami became editor-in-chief of the school newspaper."

"Really?" Ulrich said.

"No." Yumi said. "Well yes, but…"

"Come on, Rumiko." Calvin said. "Tell her what happened."

"Alright." Rumiko said. "Dad, I'm going to college."

"What?" Ulrich asked.

"I heard back from the college I applied to." Rumiko said. "I got accepted."

"Did I just hear that right?" Ulrich asked. Rumiko just nodded.

"Rumiko, I'm so proud of you." Ulrich said happily.

"Thanks Dad." Rumiko said bashfully.

"I just know you'll do great." Ulrich said. "Don't you forget that."

"Thanks." Rumiko said.

Later, they pulled up to the school and the kids said their goodbyes. As Calvin walked away, he saw another flash and another feeling of pain entered his head. He just kneeled down, clutching his head.

"Are you alright, Calvin?" Yumi asked running up to him.

"Yeah." Calvin said. "Just these post-concussion headaches."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ulrich asked. "Because if you aren't, we can take you home."

"I'll be fine." Calvin said. "Seriously."

"Alright then." Ulrich said. "Good-bye, Calvin."

"See you soon." Calvin said getting back up as his parents drove away.

"Need some help?" Rumiko asked.

"Yes please." Calvin said as they both walked into the school and to the dorms.

* * *

Yeah, I'm sorry for the filler chapter. Just bear with me here, I'll have something better this weekend.

Please Review.


	38. Hard Night at Kadic

Calvin and Rumiko went up to Calvin's dorm after the long day. Before Calvin entered his room, his sister spoke up.

"Calvin, I think we should talk." Rumiko said.

"What do you mean?" Calvin asked.

"About your recent headaches."

"Those?" Calvin asked. "Rumiko, it's no big deal. It's just a bit of pain every now and then."

"Dennis has told me it's more than just that." Rumiko said. "He said something about you seeing William Jr. Ring any bells?"

"I'd rather not..."

"Calvin, you can tell me anything." Rumiko said.

"Okay." Calvin said. "Along with the headaches, I've been seeing images too."

"Okay." Rumiko said.

"They're only there for half a second, but I've been able to make them out." Calvin said. "I've been seeing William Jr., but he's not alone. I see him torturing and killing others, including Mom."

"Oh, Calvin."

"Rumiko, is something wrong with me?" Calvin asked.

"I don't know." Rumiko said. "But it would be best to go to the nurse's office tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Calvin said.

"I'm going to go to bed now." Rumiko said. "I suggest you try and get as much rest as you can."

"Okay." Calvin said as he headed into his dorm, got his night clothes on and headed off to bed hoping to get much, if any, sleep.

* * *

It was the middle of the night. Sam was sound asleep dreaming of whatever good dreams he was having, Calvin on the other hand was less than comfortable. He kept tossing and turning in his sleep as he was dreaming.

In his dream, he found himself in a blank white area. With nothing around him, he just kept walking forward. His footsteps echoed ominously throughout the empty plane as he walked for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually he saw something in the horizon: The skyline of the city of Paris. As he walked closer to the city, he looked around and saw that all the streets were empty; not a speck of life could be found anywhere. In the middle of the nearest intersection, he noticed a multiple car pileup. Walking up to the pileup, he saw a silhouette of a person in the driver's seat of one of the cars. Noticing the door was unlocked, he opened the door and the driver immediately fell out. Calvin looked down and saw that the driver was nothing more than a dried corpse. Its skin was shriveled up, its bones completely visible and its face twisted in horror. Frightened by this sight, Calvin just stepped back and felt something underneath his foot. Calvin looked down and saw that he was standing in another dried corpse; he looked around and saw another and another. They weren't there before, but now the streets were littered with these corpses. Calvin then looked ahead and saw a mysterious figure in the shadows. Calvin saw the figure approach him ever so slowly. After a few seconds, the figure stopped in place. Calvin just stood in the same spot, completely confused. Just then, the figure picked up speed and ran towards Calvin. Calvin saw that, upon close inspection, the figure was none other than William Jr. Just as he was about to strike, everything went back.

* * *

Calvin immediately woke up with a startled scream; he just sat up in his bed, hyperventilating and with cold sweat on his face. He then turned to find Sam staring at him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." Calvin said. "Just a bad dream." He then got out of his bed.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." Calvin said walking out.

"Throw some cold water over your face while you're there. You look terrible." Sam suggested.

"Fine then." Calvin said. He then exited the room and walked down the hall to the boys' restroom and walked inside and over to the toilets. After finishing his business, he walked over to the sink and washed his hands.

As he was rinsing, he heard something from the other end of the bathroom, or at least he thought he did. He looked and saw nothing; he could've sworn he heard something. Calvin just grabbed some cold water from the sink and splashed it on his face. He grabbed another handful and splashed it, only this time it felt a bit different. Calvin looked in the mirror and his eyes widened as he saw that the water on his face had turned a darkish red. He looked in the sink and saw the same red liquid overflowing off the top. He dipped a finger in and immediately recognized the feeling: This wasn't water, it was blood.

Horrified, Calvin backed away and saw the rest of the sinks were filled to the rim with blood as well, and it was spilling all over the floor. Calvin then looked back in the mirror and he saw William Jr. standing behind him.

"Fancy seeing you here." He said chuckling.

"How did you get here?" Calvin asked panicking. "Why are you here?"

"Just to get my message across." William Jr. said.

"This is your message?" Calvin asked pointing to the blood-stained floor. "And what exactly is it saying?"

"You figure it out." He said. "You should know by now."

"I don't know." Calvin said.

Back in the hallways, Jim was patrolling the hallways seeing if anyone was out during curfew. As he walked down, he heard Calvin from inside the restroom and immediately walked in. There he saw Calvin just standing there talking to thin air.

"Tell me what you know!" Calvin said hysterically. "What do you want? What does XANA want?"

"Stern?" Jim asked. "What in the…" Calvin then saw him and ran over to him and grabbed him by his clothing.

"You aren't going to intimidate me that easily!" Calvin said to him. "You aren't…"

Jim then slapped Calvin in the face and he immediately snapped out of it.

"Oh, hi Mr. Morales." Calvin said. "What brings you here? Hey, what happened to the blood in the sinks?"

"Calvin." Jim said calmly. "It's late. I'm not in the mood. But I will say that I want to see you in the infirmary first thing tomorrow morning. Now get back to your dorm or I'll put you in detention for the rest of the week."

"Yes sir." Calvin said. He then headed back to his room and got back in bed. Suffice to say, he slept soundly for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning, Calvin woke up and got himself dressed. Only this time, instead of heading to the cafeteria, he headed down to the infirmary where Jim and Nurse Yolanda were their waiting for him.

"Hey, guys." Calvin said. "I was told to come down here."

"Mr. Morales says last night you were up in the bathroom yelling at yourself in a hysterical frenzy." Yolanda said.

"Yeah, you could say that." Calvin said.

"Okay." Yolnada said. "Now, I want you to tell me exactly what you saw happen so that I may help you."

"Can Mr. Morales leave the room, then?" Calvin asked. "I feel more comfortable talking about it when it's just us two."

"Very well." Jim said getting up and stepping out of the infirmary.

"So Calvin, tell me everything." Calvin began telling her about his headaches and the visions he had been seeing, including the one from last night.

"I see." The nurse said writing down what was said.

"Do you think they mean anything?" Calvin asked.

"Calvin, you're suffering from post-concussion hallucinations." She said. "It's quite common for someone to experience symptoms even after they feel alright."

"Okay." Calvin said. "But do they mean anything?"

"I don't think so." Yolanda said. "Hallucinations don't necessarily have to have a message behind them. That only happens in horror films."

"But it can't be a coincidence." Calvin said. "To have visions of William Jr. after he was put in jail."

"Calvin, are you familiar with the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD?"

"Of course." Calvin said. "But I figured it only applied to war vets or really serious cases."

"No Calvin, it can apply to anyone who has experienced great physical or emotional trauma." Yolanda said. "What happened to you, being knocked out and having your mother hospitalized, could've led to something like that. And maybe that's why your hallucinations just happen to be of your mother's attempted killer."

"You're saying PTSD is causing my hallucinations?" Calvin asked.

"I'm saying that PTSD may be a factor in your hallucinations being what they are as opposed to something else."

"Oh, now I understand." Calvin said.

"I don't normally do this, but I can call the hospital and schedule an MRI scan for you." Yolanda said. "It'll help the doctors find out what can be treated and how."

"MRI?" Calvin asked.

"Yes, it's short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Doctors use it for…"

"Yeah, I know what it is." Calvin said. "Do you really think that's necessary?"

"I recommend it." Yolanda said. "Especially if it ends up getting more serious."

"In that case, I might as well." Calvin said. "I have nothing to lose."

"I'll have your parents make you an appointment as soon as they can." Yolanda said. "Right now, my recommendation is that you stay here and try to get as much rest as you can."

"Yes Ma'am." Calvin said lying down on the infirmary bed, already fearful of what may come next.

* * *

Please Review.


	39. Treatment

As Nurse Yolanda went into her office, Calvin was still lying on his bed just staring at the ceiling. He was still trying to process everything that had happened last night: His dream in the post-apocalyptic world and his hallucination in the boys' restroom. He knew that this wasn't happenstance; they're had to be a reason behind it. But what? Calvin had to know. As he contemplated this, he found himself drifting asleep. Eventually, he found himself in another dream.

* * *

Calvin looked around and found himself in the same city that he was in his first dream. Only this time, everything seemed to be in order: No cars were piled up, the streets weren't eerily quiet and the sun was shining as bright as a summer day. As Calvin was walking down the sidewalk, he saw other people walking around minding their own business. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so Calvin continued walking around.

"Excuse me, Kid." Calvin turned around to see an older man in a business suit behind him.

"Yes sir?" Calvin asked.

"Do you have the time?" He asked.

"Sure, hold on." Calvin said looking at his watch, not even questioning when he started wearing a watch. "It's five minutes until one."

The man said nothing.

"Um… Sir?" Calvin asked.

"Do you have the time…" The man asked again in a trance-like state.

"You already asked me that."

"Time…time." The man kept saying quieter and quieter. Just then, Calvin saw the man's skin shrivel up and get paler. He then fell to the ground as he twitched uncontrollably and eventually fell limp. He looked like the dried corpses that Calvin saw in his last dream. Calvin then turned to find that everyone else had succumbed to the exact same condition: Shriveling up and falling to the ground dead. Calvin then backed up and immediately ran as fast as he could. Calvin only stopped when he saw something fall from above in front of his path. Calvin looked down to see a 'fresh' body with a large cut in its throat. Calvin then looked up and he saw on the roof of a three-story building a mysterious figure holding a person by the neck and slitting his throat with a pocket knife. He then dropped the person as he landed on the ground, lifeless and limp. Upon closer examination, Calvin saw the culprit as none other than William Jr. William Jr. just looked down at him and shot him an evil grin.

* * *

Calvin then woke up.

'Just another dream.' He thought. Calvin then picked up a glass of water from the side table and got himself a drink. He then set the glass down and lay back down. After five minutes, Calvin sensed that something was not right; he has the strangest feeling that he was not alone. When he turned his head, his suspicions proved correct.

"Hello." William Jr. said. Calvin just jumped back, completely startled.

"How did you get here?" Calvin asked breathing heavily and with his heart racing like mad.

"Nevermind that." William Jr. said. "A moment of your time?"

"Wha…What do you want with me?" Calvin asked.

"I just want to talk." William Jr. said. "Can't a half-brother and half-brother hold a conversation without any hostility?"

"Fine then." Calvin said. "What do you want?"

"While I was in jail, I've been doing some thinking." He said. "I've come to realize that maybe torturing you both physically and emotionally isn't the right path for me."

"Oh?" Calvin asked suspiciously.

"I've come to realize that I was wrong in my actions and have decided to change my ways for the better."

"So you're going to stop working for XANA and help us defeat him for good?" Calvin asked.

"No. I'm just going to kill you right now." William Jr. said nonchalantly.

"What?" Calvin exclaimed.

William then grabbed Calvin's left arm and bent it backwards until it broke at the elbow. Calvin just screamed in pain as his half-brother did the same thing to his right arm, rendering both his arms useless.

"Now for the final touch." William Jr. said grabbing the pillow from the bed and shoving it in front of Calvin's face, smothering him. Calvin just shook around screaming, unable to defend himself.

* * *

In her office, Nurse Yolanda heard the commotion and ran out to find Calvin just writhing in agony and screaming.

"Calvin!" Yolanda said as she ran over to him trying to get a response. "Calvin, are you alright?"

"I know you're there!" Calvin said in hysterics. He then banged his head on the adjacent wall repeatedly. "Get out of my head! Get out of my head!"

With no other options at the moment, Yolanda just grabbed the glass of water and splashed it on Calvin's face.

"What the..? What happened?" Calvin asked snapping out of it.

"I just walked in and you were just frantically screaming and moving around as if you were in pain."

"William Jr. was just here." Calvin said. "He broke my arms and tried to smother me with a pil… I was hallucinating again, wasn't I?"

"Definitely." Yolanda said. "I called the hospital and they were able to fit you in tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Calvin said.

"I also talked to your parents. They'll be picking you up tomorrow at 8:00 to take you there."

"Thanks." Calvin said. He then tried to get as much rest as he could.

* * *

The next morning, Calvin awoke to find his parents and Nurse Yolanda standing by his bed.

"Good Morning, Cal." Ulrich said.

"How're you feeling, Sweetie?" Yumi asked.

"Better than yesterday." Calvin said. "And the day before."

"Glad to hear." Ulrich said. "So, are you ready to get going?"

"Might as well." Calvin said. He then got out of his bed and walked over with his parents to the car. After a short drive, they reached the hospital. They then got out and walked inside and over to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" The lady at the front desk asked.

"My son is scheduled to have an MRI scan." Ulrich asked. "Should be under Ulrich Stern."

"Okay." She said. "And your son is Calvin?"

"Mhmm." Calvin said.

"You just have a seat over there. The doctor will be with you shortly."

The family just went over to the waiting room and kept themselves busy. An hour later, one of the doctors came out to them.

"Calvin Stern?" He asked.

"Right here." Calvin said.

"Right this way." He said leading the family through a series of hallways until they entered one of the rooms at the end of the hall. Inside the room was a large circular machine with a hole in the center. In front of the hole was table set up almost like a bed.

"Ever had an MRI before?" The doctor asked.

"No." Calvin said.

"Well it's not a lot different than an x-ray." He said. "Just lie down at that table and we'll do the rest."

Calvin then did as he was told and set himself down. The doctor then went into the other room and began the procedure as Calvin was moved inside the machine and the process began.

Thirty minutes later, Calvin was taken out and he walked over to the other room where the doctor was already looking at the images taken.

"So, is it bad?" Yumi asked.

"Well there is some neural excitement in various places, primarily in this region here." The doctor said pointing to the left side of the image.

"Yeah, that's where I was hit." Calvin said.

"Other than that, there really doesn't seem to be any real neurological damage." He said. "The blow to the head most likely ended up being more severe to your brain than previously anticipated. How long ago was the incident?"

"About three days." Calvin said.

"Okay, then there's no surprise why you continue to experience the symptoms you do now." The doctor said. "A lot of concussion patients still experience these types of things now and again."

"Still, is there anything you could recommend?" Yumi asked.

"I can help with the headaches, which I can just give you a prescription for a certain medicine, but not the hallucinations." He said. "My advice for that is just for him to get plenty of rest and not strain himself for the next week. If he's kept in the right conditions, his brain should settle and the hallucinations should eventually go away."

"Quick question: Is there any way to make this last shorter than a week?" Calvin asked.

"Why?" The doctor asked.

"Well, I have a soccer game coming up in three days and…"

"Three days is not long enough to recuperate." He said. "And you definitely should not be playing any sports before then."

"Okay." Calvin said.

"Thanks again, Doctor." Yumi said. With that, the family just walked out and drove back to the academy.

* * *

Calvin then walked inside and eventually found his friends.

"Hey, Cal." Sam said. "Where were you?"

"At the hospital." Calvin said. "Had to get an MRI scan."

"How did that go?" Dennis said.

"Well, they said I had to take it easy for a week." Calvin said. "Which means I won't be playing in the championship."

"Oh my." Antea said.

"Well, who knows?" Dennis said. "Maybe the game will be delayed or something."

"To be honest, I'm not that worked up about it." Calvin said. "I've been through so much lately, that the game doesn't really seem like such a big concern to me."

"Well, you already defeated Carnot." Ami said. "To you, Henri IV wouldn't be that much of a challenge anyway."

"Yeah." Calvin said. "Well, I'm going up to my dorm now. Rumiko, make sure you give Jim my doctor's note."

"Why can't you?" Rumiko asked.

"Because I'm tired and I really don't want anything to get in my way while I try to rest myself."

"Understood." Ami said taking the note from Calvin's hand and walking off. "Well, we'd better get to our next class now."

"Alright, see you." Calvin said as he walked away and up to his dorm room. There, he just laid himself down and got himself a good rest. He knew he needed it more than ever.

* * *

Alright guys, now that that's out of the way, there will be a somewhat large time skip, roughly around a few months. So the game and even Christmas time will be skipped over and the next chapter will take place in the beginning of January. This is due to me wanting to get to the climax as quickly as I can and due to the lack of ideas I have for the aforementioned dates. I will make a Christmas story as part of my 100 Days side story that'll be worked on throughout the week and hopefully be up by Christmas Eve. After which, I will continue with what I have left of Race for Control.

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	40. Dean's Back

Months had passed since the day Calvin started getting worse, but now things went nowhere but up. Calvin had been getting better since the hospital visit; he didn't get any headaches or hallucinations. The championship ended up being postponed until a week due to bad weather which meant Calvin was able to play for at least one quarter. Kadic won the championship against Henri IV, coming from behind once again. Ami was allowed to serve as interim editor-in-chief for a month to get an understanding of her job and even got the school newspaper a monthly award from the local paper for layout. Rumiko, wanting to maintain her spot in college, had Calvin tutor her in an attempt to bring her grades up. Calvin was eventually forgiven and allowed to participate in Lyoko missions more often. Although, with William Jr. out of the picture, things were a bit easier.

* * *

It was now the beginning of January. Winter break was already over. However, the night before school started, the Lyoko Warriors were already called to duty. XANA had been up to one of his tricks and he had to be stopped.

In the Desert Sector, Calvin and his sisters were hiding behind one of the many rock formations by the tower. They had just lost XANA's monsters and were already planning a change in strategy.

"There's too many of them." Rumiko said. "What do we do?"

"We keep low and wait for backup." Calvin said. "With luck, we'll be able to hold out and get to the tower."

"With luck?" Ami asked.

"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it." Calvin said. Just then the rock they were standing behind instantly shattered and the trio turned to find a Megatank and two Krabes facing them. The Megatank then opened up and prepared to fire its laser. Just as it was about to fire, however, the Megatank exploded and standing in its place was the rogue program ANAX.

"I'll hold him off, you get to the others." Calvin said drawing his staff and charging towards ANAX. ANAX then drew his sword and blocked Calvin's attack. Calvin just kept coming at him, but ANAX wasn't fazed; he just kept coming back at him.

Ami and Rumiko went over to the two Krabes and each went to one. Ami used her Mind Control to take control of one Krabe and destroy the other. She then released her grip while her sister jumped on its back and stabbed the Eye of XANA on its back with her sai, destroying it.

"Alright guys, you're clear." Rumiko said to Antea as she emerged from her hiding place and proceeded to the tower. ANAX, catching sight of this, immediately stopped what he was doing and threw his sword at Antea. Calvin then threw his staff towards the path of the sword, hitting it and causing it to miss. Antea just ran inside the tower and deactivated it.

"Great job, guys." Dennis said. "I'll be sending you back in now."

* * *

Minutes later, the gang was back in the lab.

"Another successful mission." Dennis said. "If I do say so myself."

"Agreed." Calvin said. "XANA does seem to be getting quieter, though. Have you noticed?"

"Maybe because he's running out of options." Sam said. "With William Jr. out of the picture, he can't afford to go all out like before."

"That just leaves one other question." Ami asked. "Why doesn't XANA just break him out and put himself ahead of us again?"

"Because he was only using him." Dennis said. "Willy's no longer any use to him and thus he's letting him rot. I assume that XANA has more than he needs, we just need to find out what."

"Either way, it's getting late." Calvin said. "We have school in the morning and we don't want to miss our first day back."

"Right." Sam said. "Oh wait. I have to show you something."

Sam then pulled out a flyer from his pocket, unfolded it and gave it to the others.

"What is it?" Dennis asked.

"The Club 7 is holding an open mic night in a week." Sam said.

"And…" Dennis said.

"I signed us up." Sam said.

"You what?" Rumiko said. "And you didn't consult us first?"

"I figured you wouldn't mind." Sam said. "It's been a while since we had ourselves an actual gig."

"True." Ami said. "Alright, I'm in."

"Same here." Dennis said. The others then voiced their assent on the idea. They then went back to the school and got ready for bed.

* * *

The next morning, the first day of school after break began. Everyone was already heading to their classes getting ready for whatever the teachers were giving out, be it a review or a pop quiz. However, in Paris, one kid was nowhere near school: A certain soccer player from Lycee Carnot.

Wandering the streets of the city was Dean Bouchard. It had been almost two months since he let his team down and lost to Kadic. With his hands in his pockets and his head hung down, he just wandered the streets aimlessly not caring where he was heading. He only stopped when he bumped into a random stranger.

"Look where you're going, Jerk!" He said.

"Sorry." Dean said as he stepped out of the way and continued walking.

"Dean?" He heard a voice shout from across the street. Dean then turned around.

"Oh, hey Alex." Dean said.

"Man, I've been looking all over for you." Alex said. "Why aren't you in school?"

"Why aren't you?" Dean said.

"We're on a field trip." Alex said. "So why aren't you with us?"

"You should know by now." Dean said. "It's been like two months."

"So you lost a game. Big deal." Alex said.

"This isn't just about the game!" Dean shouted. "My reputation got destroyed, I lost my fans and friends, I was permanently ejected from the team, my parents are still on my ass about the whole thing, my girlfriend dumped me, nobody will even speak to me…"

"…All because you nailed your goalie in the chest and allowing that penalty shot."

"You aren't helping." Dean said.

"Whoa. I'm just saying." Alex said.

"Someday, one way or another, I'm going to make Calvin pay." Dean said.

"Wait what?" Alex asked.

"Come to think of it, he has a girlfriend right?"

"Yeah, but…No, you aren't." Alex said.

"When's the next train to Bolougne-Billancourt?"

"Dean, you can't." Alex said. "I've stood by you for every asinine thing you've done, but this is too far."

"Goodbye, Alex." Dean said.

"Dean, don't you dare take this out on him!" Alex said. "You're the one who screwed up, he didn't do anything!"

But Dean said nothing. He just walked away and carried on with whatever plan he had.

* * *

It was now the afternoon. At Kadic Academy, Calvin and his friends were already out in the courtyard ready to discuss what to do with the afternoon.

"We could go to the movies." Ami said.

"And see what?" Dennis said. "There really isn't anything good playing these days."

"Yeah, that's true." Ami said.

"Why don't we keep it simple and go out for pizza." Calvin said.

"That sounds fun." Rumiko said.

"Yeah, let's do that." Sam said.

"Let me just get some stuff from my house and I'll join you." Antea said walking away.

"Cool." Calvin said. "We'll wait for you. I'm going to grab some money from my room while I'm at it."

As Antea was walking out the front gate, she managed to catch a glimpse of someone from the corner of her eye. She thin turned around and saw Dean standing by her.

"Who are you?" Antea asked.

"Dean Bouchard. Carnot soccer team." Dean said.

"Oh, that's right." Antea said. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you were doing anything tonight."

"Actually, I am." Antea said. "I'm going out with friends."

"And Calvin?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Antea said suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd like to hang out." Dean said. "Just the two of us."

"I know what you're trying to say, and the answer is no." Antea said. "I already have a boyfriend and he's much better than the likes of you."

"Antea, has anyone ever told you beautiful you are."

"Well, I…" Antea said blushing.

"You're the loveliest person on the face of the planet." Dean said. "You deserve much better than that aspie, Calvin."

"That 'aspie' happens to be the sweetest, most caring person I ever knew." Antea said. "You on the other hand are nothing like him."

"Well, what's he ever done that no other person has done?" Dean asked. "What about him makes him so much better than any other boy you've met?"

"Well...He…" Antea was at a loss for words.

"I thought so." Dean then leant up and planted a kiss on Antea's lips. Antea, confused enough, found herself getting down to his height and returning the kiss.

Unknown to the both of them, Calvin, who had just left the dorms with his wallet, was watching the whole thing.

* * *

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	41. Heartbreak

Calvin was shocked with what he was seeing: His girlfriend was out by the front gate kissing another boy. Not just another boy, his old rival Dean. Calvin didn't say anything. He just turned around and walked away.

Antea then snapped out of it and pushed Dean away from her.

"I'm sorry." Antea said embarrassed. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Don't be sorry." Dean said. "It was quite pleasant, don't you agree?"

"No, I don't agree." Antea said. "It was a mistake. Talking to you was a mistake." Antea then ran off.

"I just hope Calvin didn't see me." She said.

"You still deserve better than him." Dean shouted back.

Meanwhile, Calvin walked back to the courtyard. He was walking slowly with a despondent look on his face.

"Calvin, is something wrong?" Rumiko asked.

"I just…I'm not feeling so well." Calvin said. "I think I'll just head home."

"Calvin, really, what's wrong?" Ami asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Calvin nearly shouted. "Right now, I just want to be left alone."

"Okay, then." Dennis said. "Hope you get better soon."

* * *

Calvin said nothing. He just walked away from the group and out of school grounds. A half-hour later, he reached his house and walked inside to find his mother in the living room.

"Calvin." She said. "What a surprise to see you here."

"If you need me I'll be in my room." Calvin said slowly walking up the stairs.

"Okay then." Yumi said. Calvin then walked into his room and closed the door.

Calvin sat on his bed just staring into space. He was still shocked and heartbroken over what he had seen. As he continued to think about it, he could feel tears build up in his eyes. He then looked over at his nightstand and saw a framed portrait of him and Antea together. Unable to contain his feelings any longer, he picked up the picture and threw it on the ground, smashing it into pieces. Calvin just threw himself on his bed face down and cried into his pillow.

Never before had he been this hurt by anyone, let alone the person he loved the most. It was as if the whole world came crashing down around him. He just continued to lie in bed as the warm tears rolled down his face. About an hour later, he heard a knock at the door.

"Calvin." He heard Yumi say. "Calvin, dinner's just about ready. You wanna come down?"

"No." Calvin said. "I'm not in the mood."

"Oh?" Yumi asked. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I guess." Calvin said. Yumi then came in and sat on the bed beside him. She then noticed the smashed picture frame on the floor.

"So what happened?" Yumi asked.

"Well." Calvin said trying to hold his composure. "Me and the others were planning on going out for the afternoon and I went to my dorm to grab my stuff while Antea went to her house, or so I thought."

"What do you mean by that?" Yumi asked.

"The thing was, when I came back, Antea was with another boy and…and…" Calvin said now on the verge of breaking down.

"Oh no." Yumi said. Calvin just nodded as he began sobbing loudly.

"Honey, I'm so sorry." Yumi said hugging him. "Are you sure it wasn't just a misunderstanding?"

"I know what I saw!" Calvin shouted. "She returned the kiss."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you like that." Yumi said. "I'm pretty sure she didn't even see you. Did you give her a chance to explain?"

"No." Calvin said. "I just walked away and said nothing."

"Well, maybe you should talk to her about it." Yumi said. "I'm certain it was a mistake; I can't imagine anyone like Antea wanting to break the heart of a sweet, wonderful person like yourself." Calvin just cried some more.

"Sweetie, it's okay." Yumi said with her arms wrapped around him. Just then the door opened to reveal Ulrich.

"Calvin, what's going on?" He asked. "Why aren't you downstairs?"

"If you must know, our son was just cheated on by his girlfriend."

"Oh my." Ulrich said surprised. "Calvin, I'm so sorry."

"Would everyone please leave now?" Calvin asked. "I really need to be left alone."

"Sure, Calvin." Ulrich said as he and Yumi walked out. "Just remember, if you ever want to talk more about it, we'll be right here."

"Also, could you please not tell Antea or Aelita about this?" Calvin said. "If I want to resolve this, I'll do it myself."

"Absolutely." Yumi said. "I'm sure things will get better. Believe me."

* * *

They then shut the door as Calvin threw himself back down on his bed. After a few minutes of silence, he could've sworn he heard a faint chuckling in the background. Calvin looked around and was startled to see none other than William Jr. sitting on the windowsill.

"You again?" Calvin asked.

"But of course." William Jr. said. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

"So what brings you here now?" Calvin asked.

"I heard about what happened with you and Antea." He said. "I must say I'm quite sorry for you."

"Why do you care?" Calvin asked.

"Why wouldn't I? You _are _my little brother after all." William Jr. said. "It must be so painful to see that the person you love the most cares nothing about you."

"She does care about me. She must." Calvin said. "Why am I even talking to you? You're just a hallucination."

"Oh?" William Jr. said. "And if I were a hallucination, could I do this?" William Jr. then ran over and landed a punch to Calvin's face causing him to fall back a few feet. Calvin just got back up. Calvin then felt his lip and saw that it was bleeding.

"Still think I'm just a hallucination?"

"It's all in my head." Calvin said trying to convince himself. "All the pain is all in my head."

"Pathetic." William Jr. said as he landed more and more punches on him. "She never loved you, Calvin. She only liked you because she only felt sorry for you. The sooner you realize that, the more you'll realize that you're better off without her."

"It's all in my head. It's all in my head. It's all in my head." Calvin repeated to himself, scared and confused.

After a few seconds, Calvin looked up and saw that he was alone and no longer hurting. Calvin just crawled into bed and cried himself to sleep. Even though he wasn't hurting physically, he was still more than heartbroken over his girlfriend's betrayal.

* * *

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	42. Shopping Day

The next morning, Calvin woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. He immediately got dressed and slowly walked downstairs, both tired and upset from last night.

"Morning Calvin." Yumi said setting a plate on the table.

"Hey Mom." Calvin said. "You made breakfast?"

"Your favorite." Ulrich said. "Crepes and beignets."

"Don't try and pity me." Calvin said.

"It's not pity, Calvin." Yumi said. "We're just trying to cheer you up."

"I'm sorry." Calvin said. "I'm just still in a bad mood about Antea."

"And we don't blame you." Ulrich said. "Look, just talk to her and see if it was a mistake or not."

"I know what I saw." Calvin said.

"Even if it wasn't, maybe you can find out why she did what she did." Yumi said. "If she did it to intentionally hurt you or if you did something wrong."

"What could've I done wrong?" Calvin asked. "I didn't do anything to deserve this."

"I don't know, Honey. And personally, I don't think you did anything." Yumi said. "But it really doesn't hurt to ask."

"Alright." Calvin said. "I'll do that."

* * *

With that, Calvin finished up his breakfast and got his stuff ready for school. When he reached the front gate, he saw Antea and the others standing near the courtyard talking amongst themselves.

"Hi guys." Calvin said walking up to them.

"Calvin." Rumiko said. "Where were you last night?"

"I spent the night at home." Calvin said. "I didn't feel like staying at the school."

"Why not?" Ami asked.

"Because I wasn't feeling well and I felt the house would be a much better environment for me." Calvin said. "Hey Antea, can we talk?"

"Talk?" Antea asked.

"Yeah, just the two of us." Calvin said

"Maybe later." Antea said. "I have a test first period and I really need to catch up on studying."

"Oh. Okay then." Calvin said as he walked away and got ready for his class.

* * *

In his first period class, Mr. Xavier came in to give today's agenda.

"Alright class." He said. "A quick announcement before we begin: Mr. Morales is convinced that you guys aren't reading enough during your free time, therefore he has decided to give you all what we call Sustained Silent Reading, or SSR. This means for 15 minutes, every other day in this class, you are to grab a book of your choice and do nothing but read to yourself."

The class just groaned when they heard this.

"Big deal." Sam said. "Anything to make the agenda shorter by 15 minutes."

"This starts today, so everyone grab a book from the shelves and go back to your seats quietly."

Calvin and Sam then walked over and each grabbed a book with the rest of the class. As they sat back down and opened their books, Sam leaned over to Calvin.

"Hey Buddy." He whispered. "Why didn't you come with us last night?"

"I told you I wasn't feeling well." Calvin whispered back.

"Calvin, everyone uses that excuse when they're hiding something that bothers them." Sam said. "Now tell me the truth."

"Sam, please." Calvin said. "I really don't…"

"Stern! Della Robbia!" Mr. Xavier said. "Don't make me separate the two of you."

"Yessir." The two said as they went back to reading.

When the school day finished, the gang met out in the courtyard. Dennis had thought of a plan as to what to do this afternoon.

"So what did you have in mind?" Rumiko asked.

"Well, I was thinking that since our big gig is coming up in less than a week, we could go clothes shopping and pick out some fancy apparel."

"You mean you want us dressing like some glam rock band?" Calvin asked.

"No, not like that." Dennis said. "Just something that makes us look a little less casual and a little more like…you know, musicians."

"Do we really need to be dressed a certain way for people to like us?" Ami asked.

"Dennis, that's a terrible idea." Sam said. "I, however, have an idea. How about we go clothes shopping for something that makes us look less casual and more like musicians."

"But that's what I…" Dennis said.

"Does everyone just decide to tune out whenever I say something?" Ami asked.

"Sorry, Ami, what were you saying?" Sam asked.

"Nevermind." Ami said.

"Then don't complain about people not listening to you when you have nothing to say." Rumiko said. "Anyways, I'm up for it."

"Me too." Antea said as the others nodded in assent. "How about you, Calvin?"

"Hmm?" Calvin said. "Oh, sure. Yeah, I can come."

"Calvin, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Antea asked.

"Antea, I'm fine!" Calvin shouted. "So, can we please go now?"

"Umm, sure." Dennis said. "But you don't have to be so irritable about it."

* * *

After a long walk downtown, they came across a large department store. They walked inside and looked around for anything that could suit their tastes.

"Can I help you guys?" One of the clerks said.

"Yes." Dennis said. "We're in a band and we're performing a huge gig in about a week. What do you recommend?"

"Try the teen apparel section on the second floor." The clerk said. "It should have plenty for the rising star types."

"Thanks." Calvin said as he and the others took the escalator up to the next floor.

"Hey Calvin." Antea said. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Oh, right." Calvin said. "Antea, this is going to sound a bit stupid, but…"

"Oh my God!" Rumiko shouted from a distance and ran over to the clothing racks. She then pulled out a Wings shirt. "Do you know how much I wanted this shirt? I asked Mom so many times for it, but she wouldn't buy it for me."

"I take it you're a huge Wings fan." Dennis said.

"No, I just like Paul McCartney." Rumiko said.

"Same here." Dennis said. "Not as much as Gorillaz though."

"I _love _Gorillaz!" Rumiko shouted.

"Sorry Calvin, what were you saying?" Antea asked.

"Nevermind." Calvin said. He then turned to Dennis and Rumiko. "Well, while you guys are obsessing over your ancient music groups, I'm going to do what we came here for: Actually trying on clothes."

"Alright, you go do that." Rumiko said inattentively.

"This should suffice." Calvin said pulling out a few sets of jeans and shirts and walking into the dressing room.

He then locked the door and took of his clothing and then put on his first set of clothing: A pair of black jeans and a black Rammstein shirt. He then looked at himself in the mirror.

"Nah." Calvin said.

He then took it off and put on the next set: blue jeans and a Linkin Park shirt.

"Too mainstream now that I think about it." Calvin said. As he went over to pick out the next set, he could feel an unsettling presence in the room. He looked and saw a very familiar face.

"Hello again." William Jr. said. "I…"

"You know, I'm really getting sick of these mind games." Calvin said. "You aren't real; therefore I shouldn't be listening to you."

"I think we already established this last night." William Jr. said. "Speaking of which, did you end up getting to talk to her?"

"Well, twice I almost did." Calvin said. "The first time she couldn't stay to talk and the other time I was interrupted."

"Oh?" William Jr. said. "Or maybe she doesn't want to explain; she doesn't see the need to. And it's because she doesn't love you."

"No. I know she does." Calvin said. "It had to be a mistake."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" William Jr. said.

"Myself." Calvin sighed. "I saw what happened and to me it certainly didn't look like a mistake. Even if I ask her, I won't know if she's lying."

"That's what I thought." William Jr. said as he disappeared. Calvin then resumed trying on his different outfits.

After a few minutes, Calvin came out of the dressing room and showed his friend what he was wearing: A long sleeve, black button-down dress shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

"What do you think?" Calvin asked.

"Wow, you certainly look snazzy." Rumiko said.

"I must admit, it's pretty sharp." Sam said.

"Kinda clichéd, but clichéd enough that it's cool." Dennis said. "So, is that what you're getting?"

"Might as well." Calvin said.

"Good, then get your old clothes on and let's go." Rumiko said. "Man, I so can't wait to get playing."

"Me too." Calvin said. "In fact, tell Antea I have a surprise for her once we're done."

"Umm…okay." Rumiko said.

"Thanks." Calvin said. He then turned away from them and gave a small, evil grin.

* * *

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	43. Vengeance

Days had passed. Eventually the day of the big gig came. At already two hours before show time, the band was still at the academy getting themselves ready. Calvin was in his dorm room busy getting himself cleaned up; he was now standing in front of his closet mirror combing his hair and straightening out his shirt he bought yesterday. When he was finished, he just pointed to the mirror and clicked his tongue. Just then the door opened to reveal Sam.

"Hey Calvin, we're all ready and waiting outside. Are you coming?"

"Sure, just a minute." Calvin said. "I just need to make a quick call."

"Okay then." Sam said as he closed the door. Calvin then pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

"Hey, Michaelle. It's Calvin." He said. "You ready?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Calvin walked outside to meet with the rest of the band. They noticed that Michaelle, Calvin's old penpal (A/N: See 100 Days, Chapter 4), was standing by him.

"Hey Calvin." Dennis said. "I see you brought your Cambodian friend."

"I'm Chamorro." Michaelle said annoyed.

"I asked her if she wanted to watch and she agreed to come." Calvin said. "She leaves for Saipan in a week so I just had to."

"Very well." Rumiko said. "We should get going now."

After a half-hour's walk, they came to their destination: The Club 7. Already they could hear music blaring from inside the club.

"Well, this is the right place." Calvin said. "Shall we?"

They then entered inside to find a crowd of people dancing to a mix between electronic and rap. On the stage, they saw a tall kid with messy brown hair and sunglasses scratching records on turntables. Dennis and Sam immediately recognized the tune as a mash-up between 'Intergalactic' by the Beastie Boys and 'Robot Rock' by Daft Punk.

"They're always butchering the classics." Sam said.

"I couldn't agree more." Dennis said.

"Why do people like this garbage?" Calvin and Antea asked.

When the song ended, the kid on stage saw the band and jumped down to greet them.

"You hear for the open mic night?" He asked.

"Yes." Calvin said. "We're from Team Lyoko."

"No kidding?" He asked. He then turned to Antea. "By your clothing, I can only guess you're the daughter of my idol, DJ Aelita Stones."

"Yeah, my mom let me borrow her old outfit just for the show." She said.

"Name's Dustin, by the way." The kid said. "#1 DJ in America. Took advantage of my school's exchange program to share my talents."

"Sorry, but Suma's the #1 DJ in America." Sam said.

"Yes…"

"Wait a minute." Sam said in realization. "You're Suma?" Suma just nodded.

"Oh my God!" Sam said excitedly. "You're like the…3rd greatest musician/group in the world! I've read all about you in my magazines! You've got to tell me everything!"

"Sam's a huge techno buff." Calvin said.

"_Electronica!" _Sam and Suma corrected.

"Sorry." Calvin said.

"Team Lyoko, you're up in five." The manager said coming up to them.

"We'd better get ourselves ready." Rumiko said.

"Right." The others said as they went on the stage and set up their equipment. A few minutes later, the manager went up to the microphone and made the introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen." He said. "Hailing from Kadic Academy: Team Lyoko!" The crowd cheered.

"Thank you." Sam said. "Tonight we'll be performing a special song written by my father, the late Odd Della Robbia. This one's for you, Dad."

The crowd then cheered as the band began playing.

* * *

After a few minutes, the band had finished their song while the crowd was enthusiastic. Calvin, however, was still at the keyboards playing an improvised solo that went on for almost thirty seconds. As the band turned to see this, Calvin just went over to the microphone.

"Thank you all, you've been a wonderful crowd." He said.

"Calvin, what are you doing?" Rumiko asked.

"Now before we finish, I'd like to dedicate this next number to a special friend of mine."

"Calvin, get off the stage. You're ruining everything." Sam said angrily.

"I'm not done." Calvin said. "Michaelle Muna. Care to have this dance with me?"

"What?" Antea exclaimed.

"Umm, okay…" Michaelle said.

"Hit it, Suma!" Suma just nodded as he placed one of his vinyls on his turntable and began playing an upbeat tune.

"Calvin, you're making an ass of yourself again." Dennis said.

Calvin just ignored him and jumped off the stage and grabbed Michaelle's hands. The two began dancing to the beat of the music and the crowd began cheering them on while his friends just looked on in disgust. Eventually the two climbed up on the stage as Calvin got everyone's attention.

"Antea!" Calvin shouted. "This one's for you, baby." Calvin then wrapped his arms around Michaelle had then both lean down as Calvin planted a kiss on her lips.

The music then stopped as the audience just gasped and the rest of the gang looked at him with shock and disgust. Antea just ran out of the building, crying. When Calvin let go, Michelle angrily slapped him in the face.

"I already have a boyfriend, jackass!" She said as she walked out.

"Bravo." Dennis said sarcastically.

"Not cool, Calvin!" Sam shouted. Ami just stood there shocked while Rumiko shook her head angrily.

* * *

Calvin just ran outside and found Antea sitting on the curb, crying in her arms.

"Well, you're certainly taking it harder than I thought." Calvin said.

"Will you go away!" Antea practically screamed. "How do you _think_ I would've taken it?"

"Pretty well, actually." Calvin said.

"Yeah. I can take it well that my boyfriend cheated on me in front of hundreds of people including my own friends." Antea said sarcastically.

"Boyfriend?" Calvin asked angrily. "We were never truly together!"

"What?" Antea shouted.

"You only went with me because you felt sorry for me!" Calvin said. "I should've known it would come to this."

"I've always loved you, Calvin. What are you talking about?" Antea said with tears in her eyes.

"Loved me? A person who loved me wouldn't just cheat on me when I did nothing wrong!" Calvin shouted. "I saw you with Dean Bouchard that past week!"

Calvin, feeling himself about to cry, then turned around. Antea then realized what set Calvin off.

"Calvin." She said softly. "Is that what this was about?" Calvin just nodded.

"Calvin, it was an accident." Antea said.

"No. Tripping over someone's feet is an accident." Calvin said. "You kissed another boy. That is no accident!"

"Calvin, why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I tried to, but you wouldn't listen!" Calvin shouted with tears in his eyes. "What? What did I do wrong to you, huh?"

"N…Nothing." Antea shouted. "I just made a mistake."

"Yeah, you did." Calvin said. "You used me and scrapped me when you got tired of me."

"Calvin, it's not like that, I…"

"You know what? Take this!" Calvin said throwing a wad of bills at her. "I've paid you like the whore you are!"

"Calvin, are you even listening to yourself?" Antea said, tears rolling down her face.

"Oh, you want more than that?" Calvin asked. "Too bad! What I paid you is how much you're worth to me!"

Calvin then walked off while Antea just sat there crying. As he walked away, he saw his friends and sisters standing by the front door.

"Calvin, we heard everything." Dennis said. "I…"

"Don't talk to me!" Calvin said as he ran away, crying softly. They then went over to talk to Antea.

Calvin eventually reached his house and closed the door. As he was taking off his stuff, Yumi and Ulrich came to greet him.

"Hey, Calvin." Yumi said. "How was…" Calvin just ran upstairs and into his bedroom as they heard the door slam shut. Yumi and Ulrich just said nothing.

* * *

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	44. Breakout

On the other side of town, sometime after Calvin went home, a dark figure was walking along the outskirts of Paris. Eventually he came across his destination: The city jail. He walked inside the front doors, unnoticed by the guards on patrol. He then came across a heavy barred door and passed through it as if it weren't solid. The figure then found himself standing in a vast hallway with jail cells along the walls. The figure just walked down the hallway, examining each cell, looking for the right one. Eventually, he reached the cell he was looking for. He passed through the bars to find a bearded young man with long messy hair wearing prison garb sleeping on a cot. He went over and woke the man up.

"Wha? What is…?" He said in a state of drowsiness and confusion.

"William Jr." The figure said. "Remember me?"

"XANA?" William Jr. said recognizing the voice of the figure.

"Indeed." XANA said. William Jr. just pointed at him.

"You." He said.

"I know it's been a while but…"

"You sold me out, you traitor!" William Jr. said pinning XANA to the wall. "You promised you'd be back for me!"

"I came, didn't I?" XANA said.

"It's been almost two months!" William Jr. said. "Had you not stripped me of my powers, I could've been out at the first day."

"I do apologize for that." XANA said. "I needed to compensate for your failure. With you out of the picture, I needed all the strength I could use to carry out the rest of my plan."

"Then why did you come back?" William Jr. asked.

"Because I've reached the point where I can't do it alone." XANA said. "I'm going to need you more than before."

"Don't forget your end of the deal."

"Absolutely." XANA said. "You'll get Russell back once the job is done. Now as for you…"

Just then, thick tendrils of pure, glowing energy came out from XANA's hands and wrapped themselves around William Jr. and imbued themselves inside him. A glowing aura surrounded him for a few seconds and then dissipated.

"How do you feel?" XANA asked.

"More powerful than ever before." William Jr. said.

"Give it a try." XANA said. "Just move your arm towards the bars there."

William Jr. did as he was told and shot his arm forward causing an unseen force to blast through the bars. Immediately, the lights went on and the klaxon blared.

"Come with me." XANA said.

"You get back to Lyoko." William Jr. said. "I want to have myself a bit more fun."

"Just hurry back." XANA said as he disappeared.

A group of prison guards showed up and pointed guns at him.

"Put your hands to the ground!" One of them shouted.

"Not the best choice of words." William Jr. said slamming his hand to the ground. Right on the guards' side, a series of black spectres popped up, impaling them.

William Jr. then ran out of his cell and down the hallways. There, he came face to face with more armed guards.

"You're making this too easy." William Jr. said as he extended both his arms forward as fire shot out of them, incinerating the guards.

"Woah." William Jr. said. He then ran down the halls some more and paused when he saw two prisoners that caught his eye.

"Alain and Jean-Claude?" William Jr. said walking up to them. "Long time no see. How've you been?"

"How do you know us?" Alain asked.

"You should know that already." William Jr. said grabbing them by their lower jaws. "After all, you helped kill my brother."

Just then, spectres came out of his hands and pierced through his victims' skulls, killing them instantaneously. As he ran back out, he came across more guards in his path. William Jr. then did a back flip and clung to the ceiling. He then crawled across the ceiling with lightning speed as the guards kept trying to shoot at him. Eventually he came to the door and burst his way through. With just the lobby in his way, William Jr. was about to make his way out when he heard the sound of guns being drawn and cocked.

"Stop where you are." The captain said. "Come along quietly or we will be forced to open fire."

"Allow me to consider that." William Jr. said smirking.

Just then, the captain found himself floating in the air. He then felt himself being pulled at both ends and was stretched out. At the same time, the guns in the other guards' hands were being bent and crushed by an unseen force. Finally, the captain, after being stretched to his limit, had his spine snapped and fell to the ground dead.

"Seems like your terms are unacceptable." William Jr. said. He then gave a small chuckle as he shot fire from his hands that spread through the whole building. As he walked out, his chuckling turned into evil, maniacal laughter as he slowly walked away from the burning building and made his way back to the factory; back to Lyoko.

* * *

The next morning at Kadic, Calvin had just arrived at the cafeteria. He got his food and sat down with his friends at the table.

"Hey guys." Calvin said. "How've you been?"

The gang just looked up and glared at him. They then looked back down and continued eating.

"So…" Calvin said trying to make conversation. "Anyone see Antea?"

"Why do you care?" Sam asked. "Isn't she just a whore to you?"

"What do you mean?" Calvin asked.

"I told you before, we heard everything." Dennis said.

"If you heard everything, then you should know why I…"

"Calvin!" Rumiko shouted. "You have every right to be angry with her, but the way you handled it was the most sick and immature way to handle anything!"

"Who does that, Calvin?" Ami shouted. "Who humiliates the girl they love in front of an entire audience of people and then later slut-shames her in front of her friends?"

"Well, I didn't know you were watching." Calvin said.

"Calvin, that's not the point!" Rumiko said.

"She cheated on me." Calvin said. "Don't be blaming me just because I was the victim."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should've known better than to at least give her a chance to explain!" Ami shouted sarcastically.

"Explain?" Calvin said. "What other logical explanation could there be?"

"She can still feel sorry for what she did!" Ami shouted. "Regardless of what she did, you had absolutely no right to treat her in the most despicable, cruel, vile and heartless way to treat a human being."

"Even if you won't listen to her, that's fine. We understand." Dennis said. "But anger and hate is never an excuse for actions such as yours, even as an act of revenge."

Just then, Antea came bursting through the door and ran to the table.

"Guys. I…My…" She said in hysterics.

"Antea, calm down." Sam said. "Take a deep breath and speak slowly."

"Just come with me now!" Antea said as she ran out with the other five following close behind.

* * *

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	45. Arson

The gang followed Antea as she ran into the woods. As they ran, Sam paused for a moment as something caught his attention.

"Hey, guys." He said sniffing the air. "Do you smell smoke?"

"No." Calvin said. "I see smoke." Calvin pointed upwards and everyone saw that he was pointing to a black column of smoke rising upward.

"If my calculations are correct, it should be coming…Oh no." Dennis said

"What?" Ami asked.

"It's coming from the Hermitage." Dennis said.

"Yeah, that's what I've been saying." Antea said. They ran over and saw smoke and fire coming out of Antea's bedroom window.

"I'll call the fire department." Dennis said pulling out his cell phone.

Within moments, the fire department arrived and got everything set up. They quickly made their way into Antea's room and tried their hardest to douse the flames. Aelita, who was out running errands, came home and saw what was going on.

"Antea!" She shouted as her daughter ran up to her. "What happened? Is our house on fire?"

"I was just walking outside for some fresh air when I saw smoke coming from my bedroom window." Antea said.

"Oh my goodness." Aelita said.

After a while, the fire was put out. The gang then made their way upstairs to Antea's room to see what damage was done. Antea just stood there shocked as she saw the charred remains of her room.

"Antea, I'm so sorry." Rumiko said.

"Come here, Angel." Aelita said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. Antea just cried in her mother's chest. "It's okay. We'll fix it all up and make it good as new."

"So how did it happen?" Ami asked.

"From what we found, this was no accident." A police officer said.

"Are you saying this is the result of arson?" Dennis said.

"Indeed." One of the fireman said. "We found this in the wastebasket along with some wads of paper."

The fireman then handed him a charred, oddly shaped piece of wood.

"Wait a minute." Dennis said. "Wasn't this the Mauser stock you bought at the museum, Calvin?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Calvin asked.

"Answer the question." Dennis said.

"How should I know?" Calvin said. "I haven't seen that old thing in months."

"Come on, Calvin." Rumiko said. "It's not every day you see a gun stock lying in a wastebasket."

"So?" Calvin said. "Maybe a few other people have C96 stocks."

"How many of them have it with Josef Goebbels signature?" Sam said pointing to the name engraved on the end that wasn't burnt.

"What?" Calvin said taking the stock and looking at it. "You guys can't honestly think I did this."

"It does seem kind of fishy." Dennis said.

"And just what makes you think William Jr. or XANA didn't set me up?"

"William Jr.'s in jail, Calvin." Sam said.

"And if it were XANA, I would've been able to detect an activated tower." Dennis said.

"Well think about it." Calvin said. "Why the hell would I try to burn down Antea's room?"

"Maybe because calling me a whore and humiliating me wasn't enough to satisfy you." Antea said.

"You what, Calvin?" Aelita said.

"Nevermind that." Calvin said. "Come on, Rumiko. You honestly don't believe me?"

"I believe you, Calvin." Ami said. "Sure, you're prone to losing your temper, but I really don't think you're an arsonist."

"Ami, don't be naïve." Sam said. "It's not a coincidence that Antea's room was burned down, Calvin's gun stock was found at the scene and that Calvin and Antea had an argument the previous night."

"You gotta believe me, guys." Calvin pleaded. "I would never do anything like this."

Nobody said anything.

"Antea, what about you?" Calvin asked.

"I don't know who to believe." Antea sighed.

"I think I've heard enough." The officer said cuffing him. "Calvin Stern, you're under arrest for suspicion of arson."

"No!" Calvin said breaking out of the officer's grip and running out of the room and out of the house.

"You guys just stay here, we'll take care of things." The officer said as he ran out after him.

* * *

Calvin was running through the thick woods by the house. In pursuit were the first officer and a few others that had accompanied him. After running as fast as he could for ten minutes, he eventually lost the officers and stopped to catch his breath.

Making sure he was going unnoticed, Calvin took the path through the woods back to his neighborhood. He then reached his house. When he got inside, he quietly made his way through the living room and proceeded up the stairs, until…

"Calvin, we need to talk." He heard Yumi say. Calvin then went into the dining room to find Ulrich and Yumi seated at the table. "Have a seat."

Calvin sat himself down.

"Rumiko called us." Ulrich said.

"Oh?" Calvin asked.

"She said something about you burning down Antea's room." Yumi said.

"Of course." Calvin said.

"Calvin, you know we love you no matter what. But right now, you need to be honest with us." Ulrich said. "Did you burn down her room?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Calvin asked.

"We just want to know." Yumi asked.

"Why do you want to know when you already know the answer?" Calvin shouted.

"Don't raise your voice at us, young man." Yumi scolded.

"I didn't burn down Antea's room!" Calvin shouted. "Why do you even need to ask me?"

"Calvin, I…" Ulrich said.

"No! Forget it! You don't believe me!" Calvin said walking up towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Yumi asked.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm a wanted criminal." Calvin said. "If I stay here too long, they'll track me down. Therefore, I'm running away where no one can find me."

"Calvin…" Yumi said.

"I don't know when or if I'll be back, but when and if I do, it sure is hell isn't going to be here." Calvin said. "My whole family has betrayed me. I don't know who I can trust."

With that, Calvin just slammed the door and ran as far as he could.

"He'll be back." Ulrich said.

"I hope so." Yumi said. "If we end up having to call the police to find him, they'll just arrest him."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Ulrich said.

* * *

Back in the woods, the rest of the gang were talking to the police officers regarding Calvin.

"Did you manage to find him?" Dennis asked.

"Not yet." The officer said. "But we'll make sure we nab him."

"And to think he thought that we would buy the fact that William Jr. did it." Antea said. "Did he honestly forget that we turned in William Jr. and he's still rotting in prison?"

"William Jr. isn't in prison." The officer said. "You are referring to William Dunbar Jr., right?"

"What do you mean?" Rumiko said. "We turned him in two months ago."

"Yes, and he broke out last night." The officer said. "Killed thirty officers and burnt the whole prison building to the ground. Anyways, I gotta be heading out."

"You don't think…" Ami said. Just then her phone rang. "Hold on."

"Maybe Calvin was telling the truth." Sam said.

"Even if Willy broke out, it still doesn't necessarily mean he did it." Dennis said. "You saw how Calvin acted last night, that would drive anyone to something as crazy."

"I agree." Antea said. "After the way he treated me, I can only assume he wanted more."

"Antea Maya Belpois." Aelita said. "I agree that Calvin shouldn't have talked to you like that, but it doesn't give you the right to make these kinds of accusations."

"But Mom…"

"Not to mention that if you hadn't kissed that boy, he wouldn't have acted like that."

"Well, how was I supposed to know he would be watching me, let alone overreact?" Antea said.

"That's no excuse." Antea said. "It was still an extremely sinful act you did; ignorance of God's words is not an excuse."

"Maybe I should apologize." Antea said.

"Good idea."

"Nobody's apologizing anytime soon." Ami said. "That was Mom who just called."

"What did she say?" Rumiko asked.

"Calvin ran away." Ami said.

"What?" Rumiko asked.

"The whole neighborhood's out looking for him, but they can't find him." Ami said. "I'm scared, Rumiko."

"Don't worry, Ami." Rumiko said. "He'll come back."

"Are you sure?" Aelita asked.

"Knowing my brother, he'll come back within a matter of hours." Rumiko said. "In the meantime, we'll help the neighbors look around."

"Alright." Ami said as she and Rumiko headed out to begin their search for their brother.

* * *

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	46. Savior

Later that night in an old warehouse near the factory, XANA was putting finishing touches on his grand plan. After nearly five months, he had gotten everything he needed to carry it out. Only one thing was needed to do, and he couldn't do it alone. Thus he had broken William Jr. out of prison to carry out his final phase and ultimately claim victory.

"Are you quite done yet?" XANA asked William Jr., who was in the other room.

"Just a moment." He said. "Just one last spot. Got it." William Jr. then came out of the room, clean-shaven, out of prison dress and hair straightened and trimmed.

"I want to show you something." XANA said. "Follow me."

"Okay." William Jr. said.

XANA then led him into another room. Inside was a faint red glow coming from the furthermost wall of the room. William Jr. went up to the wall and saw that it was a series of vials stacked up on shelves, each containing an unknown substance.

"Impressive, isn't it?" XANA asked.

"But what is it?" William Jr. asked.

"That virus you placed inside Calvin? This is an amplified version of it." XANA said.

"Amplified?" William Jr. asked.

"Using the sample of Calvin's blood from when we first planted the virus inside him, the German lab equipment to separate the virus from Calvin's DNA, the uranium ore to power the supercomputer I built here to operate outside of Lyoko while still maintaining my connection, the Italian hospital equipment to duplicate the virus, the Japanese gene splicing technology to strengthen the virus's effects and the return trips to speed up the overall natural process, I was able to create a more powerful version of the original virus."

"And just what do you plan to do with this?" William Jr. asked.

"In a matter of weeks, the virus will have fully matured." XANA said. "After that, we, and by that I mean you, will take these vials and travel across the world placing one in each major country in the world. In just minutes after their release, the virus will spread and infect every single person on the planet. Hundreds of millions will die the first day, billions more the next day. Finally, we will remain the only two on this planet and thus will be free to recreate the world in our own image."

"'Only two'?" William Jr. asked. "What about Russell?"

"Yes, about that." XANA said. "See, my plan calls for the eradication of all other human lifeforms. Bringing Russel back only to kill him would just be redundant."

"I see…" William Jr. said. He then ran up and pinned XANA to the wall. "Listen. For four months, I busted my ass for you trying to create your perfect world. And why? Because you promised me something in return: My dead brother. Now, you're going to hold up your end of the deal just as I held up mine or so help me I will hunt you down and beat you out of your very last breath!"

"Okay." XANA said.

"I'm glad we had this talk." Willam Jr said as he kneed him in the stomach.

"What is this?" XANA said holding his stomach.

"It's called pain." William Jr. said. "Not so easy being human, is it?"

XANA just got up and continued to work on his project.

* * *

Two weeks had passed. Calvin was still gone and things were far from the same. The gang had tried as hard as to move on, but they couldn't get over the sinking feeling of their friend being gone. Even Dennis couldn't help but feel sorry.

"This was all my doing." Dennis said. "If only I wasn't so hard on him."

"We have every reason to blame ourselves." Rumiko said. "But for his sake, we shouldn't. He would've wanted that."

"Don't say it like that!" Ami shouted. "He not dead, you know."

"He might as well be." Sam said. "He's been missing for two weeks. You think they would've found him by now."

"Alive until proven dead, that's what I always say." Sven-Søren said. "How're your parents taking it?"

"How do you think?" Ami snapped. "Sorry, I'm just worried and upset right now."

"They're really upset about the whole thing, as they would be." Rumiko said. "It's probably the first time I've seen my dad cry."

"Antea, you haven't said anything." Dennis said. "Are you still mad at him?"

"Let's just say I feel just as guilty for his disappearance as you guys."

"Okay then." Ami said.

"Things will get better, Ami." Antea said. "I have faith."

* * *

That evening in the streets of Paris, Calvin was just walking down the street with his hands in his pockets. He tried as hard as to make sure nobody noticed him or risk being turned in. Fortunately, he was away from his town and thus wouldn't be recognized by many. Unless, of course, his incident made the news and a report was put out for him. Although, judging by the fact that nobody has seemed to take too much notice to him, that seemed unlikely, but he knew he couldn't take any risks.

Seeking refuge, he spotted a small bar and calmly walked inside. They weren't too many people inside, just the bartender three others. Calvin just walked up and sat himself down.

"Can I help you kid?" The bartender asked.

"I'll just have a lemon-lime." Calvin said.

"We don't carry that here." He said.

"Just water then." Calvin said. He bartender then pulled out a glass and filled it with ice and water.

"Here you go." He said. "Is something the matter?"

"My life's in a complete wreck right now." Calvin said. "I need to get away while I still can."

"It's not my business to offer sagely advice, but running away from your problems never solved anything."

"I've tried to fight them, but it always makes things worse for me and my friends." Calvin said.

"Maybe you just need to change your strategy." The bartender said. "Fighting your problem head on is the solution, but you also need to know _how_ to fight it."

"How should I fight mine?" Calvin asked.

"I can't answer that for you." He said. "Only you can find the answer to your problems."

"I guess." Calvin said. "Thanks anyway."

"You know, you look kinda familiar." The bartender said.

"Yeah, you do." A man sitting next to Calvin said.

"I wouldn't be surprised; I've been around here a couple of times." Calvin said. "Hey, where's your restroom?"

"Down the hall to the right." The bartender said.

"Thanks." Calvin said. Calvin then got up and walked casually to the hall on the other side. Calvin then looked and saw a door leading outside of the bar. He quickly ran to the door and ran outside making sure he went unnoticed.

"Phew." Calvin said as he looked around and saw he was in a small alleyway with a dead end. Just then, it started drizzling.

"Just my luck." Calvin said to himself. Calvin then looked around and found a large cardboard box in the corner of the alley.

"I guess it will suffice." Calvin said as he went over to the box. When Calvin tried to open it, it burst open to reveal a young man in raggedy clothing, screeching like a maniac. Calvin just jumped back and turned around after he unexpectedly hit something. He turned around to see that he hit not something, but someone.

"Where'd you think you're goin', kid?" A tall, slender man said.

"I was just getting out of here." Calvin said scared.

"But why? You just got here." The man said. "You wanna get out alive, you're gonna have to fight me."

Calvin then raised his fist and delivered a blow to the man's face.

"Alright, let's do this." The man then snapped his fingers and the man that was in the box came up behind him and held Calvin's hands behind his back. On the first man's sides came two others brandishing knives.

"Take him to the fire pit." The man said as the man behind Calvin led him to a flaming trash can. "This is so you can't fight back."

He then placed Calvin's hands in front of him and placed them right into the fire. Calvin just screamed in pain as the hot flames consumed his hands. After nearly a minute, they moved Calvin's hands, now covered in second-degree burns, out of the fire and threw him to the ground.

"What now?" One of the henchmen asked.

"Drain him of all his blood." The leader said. "Then keep slicing at him."

The second man then pulled out his knife and made a huge cut along Calvin's back as he cried in pain.

"Cry all you want, kid." The third man said to Calvin's frightened, tear-stained face. He then pulled out his knife and made cuts along Calvin's face. "Ain't nobody gonna help you."

After nearly a full ninety seconds of making huge cuts across his body and face, the gang walked away and left Calvin to die as the rain picked up even more. Using what little strength he had left, Calvin got himself up and crawled his way out of the alley. In only a second, he collapsed. He then looked and saw what was happening to him: His skin was becoming pale and shriveling up, his limbs were becoming much skinnier and no longer had any feeling in them and his vision was greatly deteriorating. Before succumbing and passing out, he saw a faint silhouette come up to him. He tried to call out to the figure, but all Calvin could do was close his eyes as the last of his strength left his body.

* * *

What seemed like a long time later, Calvin woke up and found himself in an unfamiliar place. He was in a dimly lit room; the only light came from a heat lamp in the corner. He was lying in a cot unable to move. He tried to say something, but all he could do was groan.

"You're awake." Calvin heard a woman's voice say. Calvin could only turn his head ever so slightly. "You don't know how lucky you are to be here, Calvin Stern."

When Calvin looked up, he saw looking down at him an old woman with a fairly wrinkled face, and long, pale pink hair. Calvin's eyes just widened as he immediately recognized his savior.

"Antea Hopper?"

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	47. The Cure

Indeed, Calvin's eyes didn't deceive him. Based on the pictures he had seen of her in the past (mostly in Mr. Xavier's notes), this was indeed Antea Hopper.

"Correct." She said.

"But…that's im…possible." Calvin said slowly. "You're dead, you'd…have to be. If you were…still alive, you'd be like…100 years…old."

"But I'm here now." Antea said. "That's all that matters."

"At least tell…me why…I'm…talking…like this." Calvin said at the same slow pace.

"The virus in your body managed to get to your nervous system and cause mild degeneration in the frontal lobe of your brain. Luckily, I managed to stop the growth of the virus just in time" Antea said. "Had I found you any sooner, you probably would've lost all ability to speak and even move your arms. Of course, you're bones were already weakened to the point where one wrong movement would shatter them."

"Virus?" Calvin asked.

"Some time ago, a virus must've been planted inside of you as part of XANA's plan." Antea said. "I knew XANA was plotting something like a biological threat based on all the lab equipment he stole."

"Lab…equipment?" Calvin said. "How…were you able…to find…out what…was being…stolen while…we…couldn't?"

"Your friend's attack locater was designed to detect attacks by XANA only."

"And?"

"XANA never activated the towers that did the attacks." Antea said. "Thus, it wasn't XANA's specters that carried them out."

"But…then who…? Willy." Calvin said. "But…what about…the return…trips?"

"XANA made an anti-time shield around himself and his allies, making them immune to the return trips."

"How…do you…know…all of this?" Calvin asked.

"I've been observing you for quite some time, even when your parents were still fighting XANA." Antea said. "I've had my own supercomputer and scanner hidden deep below this building ever since I escaped from captivity. With it, I was able to observe your progress, as well as preserve my longevity. I even helped your parents in their time of greatest need by creating the Franz Hopper diversion while I supplied them with the power they needed."

"That…was you?" Calvin asked.

"Yes. Hold still." Antea said pulling something out from one of the tables. "This will only hurt a bit."

Calvin then felt a quick, sharp pain in his arm as a needle was placed in his arm and pulled out.

"What…was that?"

"I placed antibodies in your body so that it may speed up the healing process. I found the formula while researching XANA's virus. Your bones should be fully healed in a few hours and you should get your speech back in a couple of days, although it'll take a week for the virus to be fully eradicated." She then pulled out a bowl from the table and gave it to Calvin. "Drink this, it'll do you good. You need your energy."

Calvin just tilted his head and placed his lips to the bowl. Antea then slowly poured it in his mouth as Calvin gulped it down. It was a warm soup, although Calvin couldn't tell the flavor. Nevertheless, the exhausted Calvin tried to slurp down as much as he could.

"Don't drink it so fast." Antea said. "Your body's not used to taking in so much at once."

"Okay." Calvin said. Once he finished, he laid back down.

"I did manage to treat your wounds, by the way." Antea said. "I figured you'd be wondering that."

Calvin tilted his head in all directions and saw that his body, especially his hands, was covered in bandages.

"I…thank you." Calvin said. He then just sighed.

"Is something the matter?" Antea said.

"I…just wanna…go home." Calvin said. "I wanna…see…my mom and dad…again."

"I can bring you tonight if you want." Antea said.

"That…would be…great." Calvin said.

"I'll do just that."

"Antea." Calvin said. "About…this virus. Is…it the cause…of my…behavioral…changes?"

"That was done on your own, Calvin." Antea said. "However, the virus managed to manifest and grow of your negative emotions and even amplified them in an attempt to gain strength. But it didn't cause those emotions to begin with."

Antea then looked and saw that Calvin was fast asleep.

"That's right, Calvin." She said stroking his scarred face. "You get all the rest you need."

* * *

Back at the Stern residence, Yumi was just sitting on the couch minding her own business, still distraught over her son running away. Ulrich and Aelita, who had stopped by to comfort her friend, and their kids came down to try to talk to her.

"Yumi." Aelita said. "We know you're upset, but you can't just sit here hoping that he miraculously shows up. It's not good for you."

"What else can I do? My little boy's gone and nobody has been able to find him for two weeks!" Yumi shouted. She then turned to the other kids. "Why did you have to drive him away?"

"Yumi, stop it." Ulrich said. "I miss him too and would give anything to have him back, but taking out on your own children is not going to fix anything."

"I just want to see my baby again." Yumi said hugging Ulrich and crying in his shoulder.

"I know, Honey. I know." Ulrich whispered with tears rolling down his face. Just then, they heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" Aelita asked. She went over and opened the door. At the door was Antea in a hooded coat carrying an older child in her arms. Aelita looked and saw that it was Calvin.

"Guys, come quick!" Aelita shouted. She then turned to Antea. "Please come in."

"What is it?" Ulrich asked.

"Someone found Calvin!" Aelita shouted.

"What?" Yumi exclaimed. She then looked up and saw her son being carried in.

"I don't believe it." Ulrich said.

"Calvin!" Yumi said running up to him. She then looked up to Antea with tears of joy in her eyes. "Thank you so much for finding him for me."

"Is he okay?" The younger Antea asked.

"He's extremely exhausted." The older Antea said. "He was hanging by a thread when I found him."

"What do you mean?" Rumiko asked. "What happened to him?"

"I'll explain later. Where should I put him?"

"Just set him on the couch for now." Ulrich said. "We'll move him to his room later."

"Either way, thank you so much for finding him." Aelita said.

"Aelita Schaeffer, is that you?" Antea asked.

"Um…yes?" Aelita said.

"How do you know my mother?" The younger Antea asked. The older Antea then lowered her hood and faced Aelita.

"It's me, Sweetie." She said. "Your mother."

"What?" The younger Antea asked.

Aelita just stood in place, frozen and wide-eyed. After nearly a minute, she fainted and hit the ground.

"Not the type of reaction I was expecting." Antea said.

* * *

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	48. Downward Spiral

After a few minutes, Aelita regained consciousness and looked up to see Yumi, Ulrich and her mother staring at her.

"Are you alright?" Yumi asked.

"Is it really you?" Aelita asked getting back up. She then reached over and ran her fingers down her mother's face, still in disbelief.

"You're not dreaming, Aelita. Nor is this an illusion." Antea said. "I'm really here in front of you. Alive and well."

"You're really here." Aelita said with tears running down her face.

"You've gotten so big." Antea said also in tears of joy. "I'm so proud of you."

"I missed you so much." Aelita said hugging her mother and crying softly. Antea just hugged her back.

"It's okay, Dear." Antea said. "I'm here now and that's all that matters."

"So…um, Grandma." The younger Antea said. "Where have you been all these years?"

"After I was captured by Anthony Schaeffer's men, there was a change of power." The older Antea said. "A terrorist group known as the Green Phoenix seized power of Anthony's group."

"Where have I heard that name before?" Ulrich asked himself.

"During the infighting, I managed to escape from confinement and spent the remainder of my life on the lam in Paris. There, I used what I knew about the Scipio project to build my own temporary supercomputer so that I may hide whenever I may need to. Thanks to this, I was able to keep myself from aging and even observe and help you, Aelita, and your friends during your battle with XANA."

"How did you help?" Yumi asked.

"That I'll explain later." Antea said. "I must be going now."

"You're welcome to spend the night at our place." Aelita said.

"Why not?" Antea said. "It'll give me a chance to get to know my granddaughter."

"Of course!" The younger Antea said. "I would love to get to know you."

"Then it's settled." Aelita said. "We'll be going now."

"Okay, see you soon." Yumi said as the three walked out the door.

"Girls, why don't you get ready for bed while I bring your brother up." Ulrich said.

"Okay." Ami and Rumiko said as they walked upstairs. Ulrich then went over to the couch and picked Calvin up and carried him up to his room. Ulrich then placed him on his bed and made sure he was comfortable.

"Glad to have you back, Kiddo." Ulrich whispered as he turned off the light and closed the door.

* * *

The next morning, Rumiko and Ami made their way into Calvin's room and went to talk to him.

"Hey, buddy." Rumiko said. "How're you feeling?"

"Better…than yes…terday." Calvin said.

"Good to hear." Ami said. "You know, Mom and Dad missed you a lot. They felt just as bad for your disappearance as we did."

"Come on, girls." Yumi said. "Your brother's been through a lot and needs his rest. Besides, you need to get ready for school."

"Okay." Rumiko said as she and her sister left the room. Afterwards, Yumi and Ulrich came inside and greeted him.

"Hey, Calvin." Yumi said.

"Calvin, we want to apologize for what happened before." Ulrich said. "We should've known better than to suspect you."

Calvin just turned to face them.

"It…took you…that…long to figure…that…out?" Calvin asked angrily. "Just…what makes…you…think you…are forgiv…en?"

Yumi just cried when she heard this.

"There there, Yumi." Ulrich said. He then turned to Calvin. "We're not asking you to forgive us, Calvin, but we heard about what had happened. About how you were close to dying and how you were just barely saved. And if you think about it, maybe we're to blame for what happened as well."

"Oh?" Calvin said.

"You're our son, Calvin; our pride and joy." Ulrich said. "If you say you didn't burn down Antea's room, then you didn't."

"Is there any way you can forgive us?" Yumi asked.

"I…don't know." Calvin said.

"I know." Ulrich said. "To make it up to you, we'll take you out to lunch this afternoon, just the three of us. How does that sound?"

"That…sounds nice." Calvin said. "Only…what if I…get…noticed?"

"I guess you'll have to change your appearance." Ulrich said. "We saved your glasses, all you have to do is wash that tacky, black hair dye off of you."

"Thanks." Calvin said. "My vision…was get…ting worse…since…the Carnot game…anyway."

* * *

After a few hours had passed, Calvin was able to get himself up and get his clothing for the day. He then went into the bathroom and got into the shower. As he cleaned himself up, he looked at himself and examined the bandages on his hands and body. He stroked his fingers against his back and grunted in pain as the wounds stung his backside.

When he finished, he got out, dried himself off and put his clothes on. Calvin then put his glasses on and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked and saw that he had managed to get all the dye off of him. He then looked at his face and noticed the scars on him. They weren't too noticeable, but they weren't completely gone.

"Calvin, are you about ready?" Yumi shouted from downstairs.

"Just about." Calvin said as he grabbed his coat and slowly headed down the stairs. He then put his shoes on and walked out to the car with his parents.

After a short drive, they reached a small restaurant on the other side of town. They went inside and took their seats in one of the booths. In a few minutes, Calvin and his parents decided what they wanted and ordered their food.

"Calvin, you should wash your hands before your food gets here." Yumi said.

"I just…took…a shower." Calvin said.

"Yeah, but you don't know who's been sitting here last and touching the door and table."

"Alright." Calvin said as he slowly got up and made his way down and to the men's room. Calvin then went up to the sink and washed his hands. When Calvin finished and dried himself off, he turned around and was startled to see the familiar face of his adversary standing by him.

"Hello again." William Jr. said.

"What…brings you…here?" Calvin asked.

"I'm impressed by your tenacity; I didn't think you'd be able to survive being on the lam."

"It wouldn't…have happ…ened….if you….had…n't set…me up." Calvin said. "I already…know…you broke…out of jail…just a day af…ter I ran…away."

"I didn't burn down Antea's room." Wiliam Jr. said.

"Nice…try." Calvin said with a smirk. "I never…ment…ioned...Antea."

"I know about it." William Jr. said. "That doesn't necessarily mean I instigated it."

"What…are you…talk…ing about?" Calvin asked.

"You figure it out." William Jr. said with an evil grin. Calvin's eyes just widened.

"No…" Calvin said. William Jr. just nodded.

"You…lie." Calvin said. "I'll…kill you!"

"Go ahead. But first…" William Jr. said as a red spectre shot out of his hand and made its way inside Calvin. "Alright, go ahead."

Calvin then ran up and landed a punch to William Jr.'s face. Calvin then felt a blast of pain spread through his body and he fell to the ground.

"Impressive, isn't it?" William Jr. said walking to him.

"What…have you...done…to me?" Calvin asked.

"The virus in your body that's been amplifying your negative emotions and feeding off of them? I made a new strain of it." William Jr. said. "The one I just placed inside of you absorbs energy off of you and gives it to me whenever the first strain gains power. In other words, you attack me and you get weaker while I get stronger."

"How…is this…pos…sible?" Calvin said.

"The virus may not have been able to kill you, but it had already weakened you to the point where I can torture you even further." William Jr. said. "Listen to yourself, you can barely speak a full two words. This new virus will weaken you faster than the antibodies can heal you. Your end is inevitable, Calvin; I already won."

William Jr. then disappeared and Calvin got up and made his way back to the table.

"Are you alright, Calvin?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah, I'm just fine." Calvin said.

But Calvin was far from fine. Even if he got better, he could no longer fight. William Jr. had taken advantage of all his weaknesses and instabilities and now he could benefit from them and turn them into pure strength for himself. The war was ending, but not in his favor.

He was in a race for control, and already he had lost.

* * *

Well, I managed to get two chapters done in one sitting (just like the old times). Therefore, if you're reading this chapter and it doesn't make a lot of sense, just remember there's another one before it.

Please Review.


	49. The Truth Comes Out

Calvin and his family were sitting in the restaurant waiting for their food to arrive. Yumi and Ulrich were casually talking amongst themselves while Calvin was slowly working on the maze puzzles on the kids' menu, hunched over and with a blank expression on his face. Yumi was the first to take notice of his son's behavior.

"Calvin, are you alright?" She asked. "Is there something on your mind?"

"No." Calvin said. "Just…still a…bit…out of it…due to…the vi…rus."

"You weren't like this when we got into the restaurant." Ulrich said.

"Maybe we should take you home." Yumi said. "I mean, you were beaten half to death just before you became weakened."

"You're meals are here." A waitress said as she brought out the food they ordered: A grilled cheese sandwich for Calvin and turkey clubs for the parents. She then looked at Calvin and noticed his bandages. "What happened to your hands?"

Calvin said nothing.

"Hey, Cal." Ulrich said snapping his fingers in front of him. "She asked you a question."

"Sorry." Calvin said. "They…were burnt…yes…terday. Got cov…ered in sec…ond degree…burns."

"Ouch." The waitress said sympathetically. "How did that happen?"

"You see…"

"He doesn't like to talk about it." Yumi interrupted. "Right Calvin?"

"Yes…" Calvin said.

"Well get better soon." The waitress said leaving. "Poor thing."

Calvin then grabbed his sandwich and took a small bite out of it. He proceeded to take another bite, but before he could, he slumped over and fell face first on his plate.

"Oh dear." Ulrich said.

"I'm okay." Calvin said.

"That's it." Yumi said. "I'm taking you home."

"I'm fine." Calvin said. "Really."

"Calvin, you obviously aren't well enough to be out." Ulrich said. "I'll stay here and finish up and wrap up your food for later and your mom will take you back to the house."

"Your dad's right, Calvin." Yumi said. "Don't forget you're still recovering, mentally and physically, from both a very serious illness and injury. You need all the rest you can get."

"This was…your…idea…you know…" Calvin said.

"Well, I thought a whole morning of rest was enough to at least get you up for at least two hours." Ulrich said. "Apparently, I was wrong."

"Come on, Calvin." Yumi said as Calvin slowly got out from his seat and walked by her.

They then walked out to the car and Calvin got in the back seat and was about to put his seatbelt on.

"No no, Calvin." Yumi said. "You just lie down and try to sleep. Don't try to force yourself to sit up."

"I can…sleep…fine sitting up…right." Calvin said. "Besides…, it's saf…er this…way."

"I suppose." Yumi said as she got in, started the car and drove off.

Calvin managed to fall asleep after the first few minutes. When they arrived, Yumi unbuckled her son and carried him into the house and took him to his room. She then set him on his bed, walked out and closed the door, leaving Calvin to sleep easily and recover as quick as he could.

* * *

A few days had passed and Calvin was back to his old self. He no longer felt lethargic and exhausted, the burns on his hands and wounds on his back were healing up (although Calvin still had to wear his bandages) and he could speak clearly without pausing every few syllables. Calvin told his friends to meet him in front of the Hermitage because he had something to tell them. The others arrived and found Calvin right where he said to meet him. Aelita and Antea Hopper were also there

"Calvin, is that you?" Antea said.

"You changed your hair back." Sam said.

"And you're wearing your glasses again." Dennis said.

"Yes, I know." Calvin said. "Antea, how was being with your grandmother?"

"It was great." Antea said. "She told us a lot of interesting stories about her mother and her living in the Cold War era."

"She also told us about what XANA's been doing." Ami said. "About how he's trying to create a virus to wipe out humanity in a simple stroke and how he used anti-time reversion technology to prevent the stolen equipment from returning."

"Anyways, why did you call us here?" Rumiko asked.

"I know who burnt down Antea's room." Calvin said. "And it wasn't William Jr."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"The person who did it happens to be standing here right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam said.

"I mean while it may have been William Jr.'s idea to burn down Antea's room, he didn't act alone." Calvin said. "He enlisted the help of one other."

"Calvin, that's ridiculous." Antea said. "What makes you think I burnt down my own room?" Everyone just froze and stared at her.

"Gotcha." Calvin said smiling pleasantly. "I never said it was you."

"Well, yes…but…" Antea said. She was at a loss for words.

"Antea, is there something you aren't telling us?" Sam asked.

"Okay, I admit it." Antea said ashamed. "I did it. I set Calvin up." Everyone just gasped. Aelita then went over to her.

"Antea, is this true?" She said shocked.

"Yes, it's true." Antea said with tears in her eyes.

"You traitor!" Dennis said.

"You don't understand!" Antea said crying. "William Jr. came to me! He told me if I didn't get Calvin out of the way he would hurt my family."

"What?" Ami asked.

"I already lost my father to XANA, I wasn't going to risk losing the last of my family to him as well." Antea said. "I didn't want to lose Calvin too."

"Wait, what?" Calvin asked.

"He told me everything." Antea said. "About how you were dying and how he could speed up the virus's process if I didn't comply. I had to get you to go on the lam so I could protect you from him."

"You set Calvin up so you could save him?" Sam asked.

"Wait." Calvin said. "This means you really do love me."

"Mhmm." Antea said. "I wanted to prove to you that I would do anything if it meant rebuilding your trust in me. I'm really sorry for everything. Please find it in your heart to forgive me as I have forgiven you."

"I don't believe it." Calvin said shocked

"Antea, why didn't you tell us?" Rumiko said.

"Because if I told, he would've killed them right on the spot." Antea said.

"…And that's exactly what I'm going to do." Said a voice from the shadows. William Jr. then appeared in a cloud of smoke and grabbed Antea.

"Antea!" Calvin said. "You let her go!"

"Oh, this again?" William Jr. said.

"You had her set me up." Calvin said.

"And I suppose you want to kill me for it." William Jr. said. "Go ahead."

Calvin then ran up to him and tried to knock him down, but felt his strength drain away right before the punch landed. He then collapsed as William Jr. took Antea.

"If you want to see your precious girl and her family again, meet me in the factory in ten minutes. I'll explain the rest." William Jr. said laughing as he disappeared with Antea; Aeilta and Antea Hopper also disappeared in clouds of smoke.

"What do we do now?" Ami asked.

"We end this once and for all." Calvin said. "Let's get to the factory, save Antea and her family and finally bring an end to XANA."

The team then ran down to the factory, ready to begin the final battle.

* * *

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	50. The Ultimate Choice

In the factory, William Jr. was up on one of the support beams stretching across but below the ceiling with Antea Hopper in hand. He then placed her on the bottom of the beam so that she was facing the ground and tied her down.

"That should do it." William Jr. said. He then turned to the support beams on his left and right where Aelita and the younger Antea were tied in a similar fashion. "It's only a matter of time."

"Mom, I'm scared." The younger Antea said.

"Don't worry, Sweetie." Aelita said. "We'll get out of this."

"If we don't, I just want to say I'm sorry for everything I did."

"Don't worry about it now." Aelita said.

"Antea Hopper." XANA said looking up and meeting face to face with her. "At long last we finally meet. Franz Hopper has said so much about you."

"Whatever you're planning, XANA, you'll never get away with it." She said. "You will only fail again."

"Logically impossible, as I have a new ally with me." He then snapped his fingers and out of the shadows emerged a familiar face.

"Mr. Xavier?" The younger Antea asked.

"Not exactly." XANA said. "Surely you recognize your friend ANAX. I managed to reconfigure the bug inside of him so that he may serve me and only me."

"So what is this plan of yours, Willy?" ANAX asked.

"All in due time." William Jr. said. "XANA, is your part of the plan going well?"

"Yes." XANA said.

"What are you up to, XANA?" Aelita asked.

"As we speak, an innocent bystander under my possession is on his way to the airport with vials of my deadly virus." XANA said. "He'll be visiting every major country of the world, planting a vial in each. Once they're opened, the virus will spread and everyone will die. Only me, Willy, Russell and ANAX will be left to inhabit and rebuild this planet."

"All the warriors can do now is sit back and watch." William Jr. said.

"So what does this have to do with you kidnapping us?" Aelita asked.

"Wait for it…"

* * *

In the sewers, the gang was already running to the factory, hoping that Antea and the others would be alright.

"So Calvin, why didn't you tell us you were dying?" Sam said.

"I didn't even know." Calvin said. "And now he's planted a new strain inside of me. If I fight him, I'll lose strength."

"Then don't fight him." Dennis said. "Leave him to us for a change. It was your obsession for revenge that got you into this mess in the first place."

"I called Mom and Dad." Ami said. "They're also going to see if William will show up."

"Good call." Dennis said. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."

Eventually, the gang arrived at the factory. Near the bridge they saw two cars there, telling them that Ulrich, Yumi and William had arrived.

"Over here." Yumi shouted to them standing by Ulrich and William. The kids ran over to them. "So what's going on?"

"Willy's kidnapped Antea and her family." Dennis said. "He's holding them in the factory."

"What?" Ulrich asked.

"We need to go save them." Calvin said. "When I give the signal, you three go in and get to the lab. We need to get to Lyoko, stop Willy, save ANAX and ultimately defeat XANA in a final showdown."

"You certainly thought ahead." William said.

"If you have a better plan, I'd like to hear it." Calvin said.

"I'm just saying."

The kids then ran over to the bridge and came face to face with William Jr.

"Surprise, surprise." He said.

"Enough talk, Willy." Dennis said. "Now let them go."

"Why?" William Jr. asked. "So you guys can have me arrested and buy even more time? Well, you're too late."

"No." Calvin said approaching him. "So I can finish what I started."

"Calvin Stern." William Jr. said. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Willy, you leave him out of this." Sam said.

"Calvin's in no condition to be fighting you." Ami said. "He's still recovering from the virus you planted inside of him as well as his burns."

"Exactly." William Jr. said with an evil grin.

"Is this how you get your kicks?" Dennis asked. "Watching your victims squirm and succumb to their own bloodlust and desire for vengeance?"

"What was your first clue?"

"If you're going to fight Calvin, at least have the courage to fight us as well." Rumiko said.

"Why should I? You already lost." William Jr. said. "Calvin will die, the whole world will fall to ruin and nothing will stand in our way."

"Alright, what do you want?" Calvin asked.

"Come with me." William Jr. said.

"Calvin, no." Rumiko said.

"If it's me he wants, it's me he gets." Calvin said. "He'll do anything to get that, even if it involves killing you all if you intervene."

"But if you fight him, you'll die no matter what." Ami said.

"Then I will have gotten what I deserved." Calvin said. "When the coast is clear you lead them to the laboratory and finish XANA."

"Good luck." Dennis said.

* * *

Calvin then walked inside the factory where he found William Jr. standing adjacent from him and with XANA and ANAX to his sides.

"So what do you want?" Calvin asked.

"First of all, look up." Calvin looked up and saw Aelita, Antea and Antea Hopper tied up to the support beams.

"Calvin, help!" Antea shouted.

"Antea!" Calvin said.

"Now that you see, I'll tell you why they're here." William Jr. said. "You and I are going to play a little game."

"What kind of game?" Calvin asked.

"If you look below the support beams, you'll see that each of us is guarding one."

Calvin looked and saw that, indeed, William Jr., ANAX and XANA were each standing below one of the beams that the victims were tied to.

"You have the option to save only one of these people." William Jr. said. "This is decided by whoever you attack first. Whoever you attack first, the victim above will be spared while the others will fall to their deaths. If you do not choose one within five minutes, all three will die."

"You wouldn't." Calvin said.

"I can and I will." William Jr. said. "Oh, and if your friends intervene, I kill all three and blow up the entire factory. So what do you say?"

Calvin thought about the situation.

"Does it matter if I win or lose?"

"Nope." William Jr. said. "Just whoever you attack first. You can attack me and finally get your revenge, but you'll lose both Anteas in the process and, given your condition, wouldn't be the best choice. You can fight ANAX and be one step closer to saving him, but you'll only be saving the girl who lied to you and set you up while letting the more powerful two be free. Finally, you can stop XANA once and for all, at the cost of your girl and her mother."

Calvin did nothing. He could only try to think of someway where he could win without a casualty. It seemed impossible, but he couldn't allow any of them to die.

"Think about it." William Jr. said. "You have five minutes."

* * *

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	51. The Race for Control Part 1

On the bridge to the factory, the rest of the gang had heard what William Jr.'s plan was. Nearly a full minute had passed and Calvin was still trying to decide what he should do.

"What do we do now?" Ami asked.

"We have to help him." Rumiko said. "He can't do this alone."

"You heard Willy. The factory's rigged to explode if we step in." Dennis said.

"So now what?" Sam asked.

"We wait. Hope for a miracle." Dennis said. "That's all we can do."

Meanwhile, Yumi, Ulrich and William were still waiting for any sort of signal to come to the factory.

"What do you think could be happening?" Yumi asked.

"I don't think I want to know." Ulrich said. William then pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

"Who are you calling?" Ulrich asked.

"The police." William said. "They got him before, they can do it again."

"You're just going to turn him in again?" Yumi asked.

"Compared to the alternatives, what choice do we have?" William asked.

* * *

Up on the support beams of the factory, Aelita was slowly moving her arms through the ropes trying to find a loose spot that she could slip her arm through. Eventually, she found one. Antea Hopper also managed to loosen up her ropes a bit after searching around for a knot she could untie. But she decided to wait until the last minute to do anything.

"Antea." Aelita whispered to her daughter. Antea then turned her head to face her.

'Don't move. I'll come for you.' She mouthed.

Aelita then slipped one arm out and grabbed the top of the support beam. She then got her other arm out and placed it on top. She then quickly slipped out of the ropes and wrapped her legs around the beam and carefully turned herself around so that her back was on the top of the beam and she was facing the ceiling. She slowly got up and walked carefully across.

Calvin looked up and saw what was going on. When she saw what direction she turned, Calvin knew what his choice was.

"Time's up." William Jr. said. "What's your choice?"

But before Calvin could say anything, Aelita's foot slipped causing the sound of metal to reverberate across the factory.

"What in the world?" William Jr. said turning around to see that Aelita had escaped and was helping her daughter.

"Well, looks like they're all gonna die." William Jr. said smirking and pressing the detonator.

Before Antea Hopper's support started to fall, she managed to break out of the ropes and land on the ground on her hands and knees. Before Antea's support blew, Antea Hopper threw a knife at the ropes, cutting them and allowing Antea to fall and for Calvin to run up and catch her. Aelita, who was still up on the beam, waited for it to fall to a certain height and jumped off when the ground was close enough.

"Impossible." William Jr. said.

"I kinda knew it was going to happen." Calvin said. "I taught Antea how to escape from being tied up, should a related XANA attack happen, I didn't know she would've told her family."

"You could've let her die." XANA said. "You could've gotten your revenge."

"And what were you trying to prove, XANA?" Calvin shouted. "That deep down every human on the planet is just as selfish and uncaring as my ancestor? Even Anthony Schaeffer knew he was wrong."

"Now!" They heard Dennis shout as the rest of the gang, including the adults, ran down and prepared to fight. XANA, ANAX and William Jr. drew their weapons and ran towards them.

"Forget it, XANA." Calvin said. "It's eleven against three."

"I like those odds." William Jr. said. Just then, they heard sirens approaching and within a few minutes, the police came out and surrounded the factory.

"William Dunbar Jr. You're under arrest for attempted murder, prison escape and arson." The chief said. "Come out slowly with your hands up."

"You hear that?" Dennis said. "It's over."

"You're making this too easy." William Jr. said pulling out another detonator. "Watch this."

He then pressed it causing the bridge to collapse and sending most of the police force to the river below. William Jr. then made a run for it.

"Just try and get to the lab!" Dennis said to the rest. "We'll finish them on Lyoko."

"Right." Ulrich said as he made his way toward XANA.

* * *

Calvin, meanwhile, was walking to the elevator, trying to get his way to the lab. However, he noticed William Jr. well in vicinity of the elevator. Calvin looked around for any means of fighting him when he saw a long, skinny pipe lying on the floor; it reminded him of his staff on Lyoko. He then grabbed it and, even though his bandaged hands made it difficult, tried to maintain a hard grip on it.

Immediately, Calvin ran over to William Jr. and slammed the pipe against him causing to fall to the ground. Calvin just screamed and clutched his head as he felt more of his energy leaving him.

"You never learn." William Jr. said getting back up. "As long as you keep fighting me like this, you'll never win."

He then slammed his blades down as Calvin blocked with the pipe. However, he found his grip loosening and the pipe slipped through his hands.

"Give up yet?" William Jr. asked

Calvin said nothing. He just rolled over to the elevator and hit the button. William Jr. then made his way in as the door closed and the elevator went down. After a few seconds, the door opened and the lab was open to them.

"Off to virtualize yourself and prepare everyone for the final battle I see." William Jr. said. "Go ahead."

Calvin just pressed the button and took the elevator down some more.

"What are you doing?" William Jr. asked. "You can't go into the scanners without setting up a self-virtualization."

"I'm not going into the scanners." Calvin said. The door then opened again to reveal the main supercomputer.

"What are you doing?" William Jr. asked.

"Buying them time." Calvin said getting up on his feet and stumbled over to the supercomputer and pulling the lever. The computer then turned off and William Jr. just went limp and collapsed.

On the main floor, the others saw that ANAX had disappeared and that XANA was sensing something. XANA ran down to check it out

"Calvin must've gone and created a diversion." Dennis said. "Come on. We can get to the lab now."

The team then split in two groups: one by the elevator and the other taking the alternate route to the lab.

Back in the supercomputer room, Calvin waited for any sign that the team had made it.

"Any minute now." Calvin had said. Just then, a blast of electricity came from behind him and he fell to the ground. XANA had located him and was now making his way to the supercomputer. He turned it on causing William Jr. to slowly wake up.

"Take him to the scanners." XANA said. "Once you finish him off on Lyoko, we'll handle the rest and finish our plan."

"Yes, Master." William Jr. said taking the unconscious Calvin to the elevator and pressed the button.

"Won't be long now." XANA said.

* * *

Meanwhile in the city of Paris, a man carrying a large suitcase stepped out of a taxi. He was dropped off at the airport and was making his way to the front desks. The man had nothing unusual about him, at least except for his eyes, which contained the Eye of XANA in place of his irises.

He was on a mission, and one that could end all of humanity.

* * *

Please Review.


	52. The Race for Control Part 2

Meanwhile, the group consisting of Antea, Antea Hopper, Aelita, Dennis and Sam arrived at the lab. Dennis sat down at the computer and got the virtualization procedure ready. He looked on the screen and noticed that the program had been recently used.

"Looks like XANA got here before us." Dennis said. "He's brought Calvin to Lyoko."

"Where did he bring him?" Antea asked.

"Looks like Sector 5." Dennis said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sam asked. "Let's go in and get him."

"Hold on." Dennis said as he started up the procedure. However, he was unable to get any further.

"Damn it." Dennis said. "XANA's locked us out of the sector."

"What do we do now?" Aelita asked.

"I've detected an activated tower in the forest sector." Dennis said. "I'll send you, Antea and Sam there and see if we can do anything."

"Roger." Sam said.

"Aren't you coming, Mother?" Aelita asked.

"I'm going to stay here and see if I can access my supercomputer from here." Antea Hopper said. "It contains the key we need to defeat XANA."

"How so?" Dennis asked.

"It will rid ANAX of the bug inside him and he'll be on our side once more."

"But if we make a connection from Lyoko, XANA will find out and probably take the data for himself."

"Then we'll just have to wait for a sign."

The elevator then opened to reveal Ulrich, Yumi, William, Ami and Rumiko, who walked up to the others.

"What's happened so far?" Rumiko asked.

"Calvin got sent to Carthage and I'm about to send Antea, Aelita and Sam to the forest sector." Dennis said.

"Anything we should do?" Ulrich asked.

"I'll be sending you all in next." Dennis said. He then turned around and got the procedure started.

"Transfer Antea. Transfer Aelita. Transfer Sam."

"Scanner Antea. Scanner Aelita. Scanner Sam."

"Virtualization."

* * *

Meanwhile in Sector 5, Calvin awoke to find himself standing in the center of the sector. He heard footsteps coming and saw William Jr. approaching him.

"William Jr." Calvin said.

"Glad to see you're awake." He said. Calvin said nothing.

"You know, that was a pretty incredible stunt you pulled." William Jr. said. "But once again, it was only futile. Even as we speak, your friends are on their way to the forest sector where a trap has been set for them."

"What do you mean?"

"All of XANA's forces have been concentrated around the vicinity of the tower." William Jr. said. "They take a step within that area, and all your friends perish."

"Then I'll make sure…"

"You'll make sure nothing." William Jr. said. "By the time you'll get there, they will already be helpless. I'll make sure of it."

Calvin said nothing.

"Go ahead. Kill me." William Jr. said. "Exhaust what little energy you have left fighting a pointless battle like the weak child you are."

Calvin put his hands up near his staff, but hesitated.

"Your end is inevitable." William Jr. said. "You might as well end it now."

Calvin then drew his staff and swung it at his opponent, who blocked the attack with his blades and threw Calvin to the side. Calvin then got up as William Jr. got on the offensive and swung at Calvin repeatedly as Calvin block the attacks. Calvin then found the passage and made his way into the next room with William Jr. hot on his trail.

Pausing momentarily behind a column, Calvin tried to get in contact with Earth.

"Dennis, can you hear me? Calvin said.

"Calvin?" Dennis said. "What's going on?"

"I'm in a tight situation with Willy." Calvin said. "What's going on in the forest sector?"

"It's pretty dead so far." Dennis said.

"Okay, listen carefully." Calvin said. "Send everyone else to Lyoko and tell the first group to stay exactly where they are until you say otherwise."

"What do you mean?"

"XANA's set a trap." Calvin said. "There's an ambush waiting for them by the tower."

"Okay, I'll be sure to tell them." Dennis said. He then turned to the others. "Alright, you heard him. I'll send Ulrich, Rumiko and Yumi in first and then William and Ami."

"Right." The five said as they went to the scanners.

"Phew." Calvin said. Just then a blast came from behind the column, knocking Calvin against the wall. William Jr. then went up and wrapped a spectre around his ankles and threw him up on a ledge and against another wall. He then floated up and made his way to him.

"Calvin, Calvin, Calvin." William Jr. said. "I have to admit, I do admire your tenacity."

Calvin slowly got up and swung his staff at him, but he missed and William Jr. kicked him to the ground. He just got back up and swung at William Jr. However, his opponent just blocked his every attack and kicked him back down once again. Calvin then tried a high jump, but William Jr. used his specters to bring him back down. He then walked up to the exhausted Calvin.

"Had you not been so stubborn, your friends' deaths would've been done quickly." William Jr. said drawing his blades. "But because of your effortless persistence, I have no choice but to kill them painfully slow."

He then slammed his blades down as Calvin blocked with his staff.

"Once I'm finished with you, I'll finish off your friends personally." William Jr. said. "Starting with your sisters and your precious little girlfriend."

Out of nowhere, something like a spark went off inside of Calvin. He began to reminisce of the past times he had. The first was a flashback to their first day at Kadic.

* * *

_"You'll love it here, trust me." Ulrich said to his kids. "I'll tell you what, give it a full year and if you hate it so much at the end of the year you'll never have to come here again. Deal?" _

_"Deal" Rumiko and Calvin said._

* * *

Then one after he first met Sam.

_"Nice to meet you, I'm Sam Della Robbia." Sam said introducing himself to his new roommate. "Now what did you say your name was again?"_

_"I didn't, It's Calvin, Calvin Stern"._

* * *

His first date with Antea.

_"Hey, you're smiling." Antea said_

_"Yeah, so?" Calvin said still smiling_

_"Well, it's just that I never seen you smile before."_

_"Yeah, Ami says that to me all the time." Calvin said._ _After a while, they both laughed._

* * *

And so on…

_"She always does this to me, Onee-san." Calvin said trying to hold back tears. "It's just not fair."_

_"I know, buddy. Come here." She said hugging him._

* * *

_"It's all my fault." Sam said "My father's death and all that."_

_"Sam..."_

_"Well it is!" He shouted "I shouldn't have asked him to stay outside a minute longer; that bullet wasn't even meant for him! Sammy, even Mom tells me that."_

_"Sam." Calvin said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You really shouldn't listen to what others, even your family, think of you. You don't really think that it was your fault, do you?"_

_"Well, no." Sam said still crying._

_"Then that's all that matters."_

_"You're a true friend." Sam said as he cried in his friend's shoulder._

* * *

_"You know, you didn't have to do that." Dennis said "I get enough sympathy from my teammates."_

_"That wasn't just about sympathy, Dennis." Calvin said "It was about helping an underappreciated person who just wanted to make his parents proud. And now you can do that, with the team's perfect season, with your perfect season."_

_"Not mine, Calvin." Dennis said "If it wasn't for you, I don't think we could have made it this far."_

* * *

_"Win or lose, I'm proud of you." Ulrich said hugging his son "I'm proud of you for taking the opportunity, I'm proud of you for making it this far. But most of all, I'm proud of you for being my son, for being the wonderful person you've become, and I always will be. Now go out there and show them what four generations of the Stern family is made of!"_

_"I will." Calvin said standing up and walking out. "Thanks Dad."_

* * *

_"Shall we dance?" Calvin asked standing up. Antea then stood up and went to him._

_"Yes let's." She said putting her right hand on his side and her left on his shoulder. Calvin followed suit. They then began to slow dance._

* * *

_"Shh. It's okay." Rumiko whispered to her crying brother after Antea was placed in a coma. "Just breathe and let it all out."_

* * *

"_My life isn't worth living without you!" Calvin said facing Antea after being laid up in the hospital over a suicide attempt. "All my life I never had one person show as much respect to me as you have!"_

"_You have plenty to live for: Your family and other friends who love you very much and want to help you." Antea said._

* * *

_"Will I ever see you again?" Antea said as Calvin was about to step into the scanners for possibly the final time._

_"I need to last long enough for William to get the upper hand against someone who's already killed me once." Calvin said. He then sighed morosely. "No. Probably not."_

_"Then I might as well tell you something before you go."_

_"What's tha...?" Calvin said but froze when Antea came up and kissed him on the lips. Calvin then returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her as a tear rolled down is face. After a few seconds they broke away from the kiss and Calvin went into the scanner._

_"Goodbye Antea." Calvin said quietly._

_"I love you." Antea said. Just then the scanner doors closed._

* * *

_"Calvin, you have potential to be a great fighter. You have strength, but what you lack is the mental capability." Rumiko said. "You need focus, Calvin. Clear your mind of everything else and concentrate on the battle at hand."_

* * *

_"I have never, ever thought you were anything less than the brilliant, talented kid you are now." Yumi said. "And I never will."_

_"I know, Mom." Calvin said._

_"Even if you lose tonight, you're no worse than I thought you were when I gave birth to you." Yumi said hugging her son._

_"Thanks, Mom." Calvin said returning the hug._

* * *

_"You did it, Calvin." Rumiko said after Calvin had won the soccer game against Carnot._

_"We did it as a team, Rumiko." Calvin said wiping the tears from his eyes. "I just came up with the plan."_

_"Either way, Kiddo, we're so proud of you." Ulrich said hugging him._

* * *

_"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you like that." Yumi said. "I'm pretty sure she didn't even see you. Did you give her a chance to explain?"_

_"No." Calvin said. "I just walked away and said nothing."_

_"Well, maybe you should talk to her about it." Yumi said. "I'm certain it was a mistake; I can't imagine anyone like Antea wanting to break the heart of a sweet, wonderful person like yourself." Calvin just cried some more._

_"Sweetie, it's okay."_

* * *

_"You set Calvin up so you could save him?" Sam asked._

_"Wait." Calvin said. "This means you really do love me."_

_"Mhmm." Antea said. "I wanted to prove to you that I would do anything if it meant rebuilding your trust in me. I'm really sorry for everything. Please find it in your heart to forgive me as I have forgiven you."_

* * *

"_What were you trying to prove, XANA?" Calvin shouted. "That deep down every human on the planet is just as selfish and uncaring as my ancestor? Even Anthony Schaeffer knew he was wrong."_

* * *

It was at that moment that Calvin finally realized what he was fighting for. He no longer cared about what he had to gain or what would happen to him. All he wanted was for these people to be safe, his friends to be out of harm's way. Calvin then found the strength to get back up and with a loud cry he pushed William Jr. off of his staff and got himself on the offensive.

"Impossible." William Jr. said shocked.

Calvin just swung his staff at him over and over. William Jr. had no choice but to block and slowly back away from him. After a few swings and William Jr. lost one of his blades, a few more swings and then another was lost. Calvin then threw his staff down as he fought William Jr. hand-to-hand. William Jr. helplessly defended himself against Calvin's many blows, but Calvin was too powerful for him. He landed blow after blow to the sides, swept William Jr.'s feet and launched a roundhouse kick to his face that sent him to the ground. Calvin then grabbed one of the blades and slashed him across the chest. William Jr. just screamed in pain.

"You have lost." Calvin said pointing the blade at his opponent who could only sit their shocked.

"That's impossible." He said. "The virus should've killed you."

"You planted that virus inside me under the impression that I would continue to fight you out of revenge." Calvin said. "I now realize that I shouldn't have been fighting you for my own gain, but to protect those you threatened; the people I love."

William Jr. just chuckled.

"Alright, so you found a way." He said. "Go on. Kill me now and finish it." Calvin paused and thought. He then threw the blade to the ground.

"No." Calvin said. "I'm nothing like you. If I kill you, the whole thing starts over."

William Jr.'s smile then faded.

"Willy, listen to me." Calvin said. "I'm really sorry about your brother, I really am. But joining XANA isn't going to fix anything."

William Jr. said nothing.

"Even if he brings him back, it's going to be at the cost of the rest of humanity." Calvin said. "Think of all the people you've hurt and killed. Think of your parents. We didn't want him to die either, but he did."

"I…"

"That type of behavior is selfish, Willy; it hurts everyone we love." Calvin said. "Please don't continue making the same mistakes I did. Don't put everyone else aside for a battle you're doomed to lose no matter the outcome. Help us save ANAX, help us stop XANA and fix your mistakes as I have fixed mine. What do you say?" Calvin then reached his hand out.

Knowing that he had lost, William Jr. could only reach his hand out to meet Calvin's and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go save our friends." He said.

* * *

Please Review.


	53. The Race for Control Finale

Back at the airport, the man under XANA's control was already up at the front desk getting his boarding passes for his big series of flights.

"And what would those be under?" The lady at the front desk said.

"Peters." The man said. "First name David." The lady then typed in a few things and got the tickets printed out.

"Berlin, Cairo, Moscow, Washington, Buenos Aires. You certainly have a big trip ahead of you." She said. "Now if we could just check your bag."

"This is going on carry-on." Peters said.

"Sir, your bag doesn't meet the size requirements."

"This is really important to me and I can't trust anyone else to handle it." Peters said. "Surely you can make an exception." The lady thought about this.

"It'll cost an extra 150 euros." She said as Peters paid her the extra money. "You have a nice flight."

On Lyoko, meanwhile, Calvin and William Jr. were making their way across the corridors of Sector 5.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Calvin asked.

"I need to hack into XANA's database and buy us time at the very least."

"How will you do that?"

"I can temporarily replace one of XANA's specters with one of my own." William Jr. said. "If I can maintain control long enough, it'll give them enough time to deactivate the tower."

After walking across the sector, they came across a small screen on one of the platforms. William Jr. then typed in a series of codes. Another screen popped up showing the inside of the airport that Peters was in.

"Good. He hasn't boarded the plane yet." William Jr. said. "I'll keep him in his current position and make sure he doesn't board that plane."

"Okay." Calvin said. "Hey, can you access any computer through that?"

"Sure." William Jr. asked. "Why?"

"Antea Hopper has a cure for ANAX's bug." Calvin said. "If we can get that, we'll have the best chance we can get."

"I'm on it."

"Thanks." Calvin said. "I'll be heading to the forest sector now."

"Don't go just yet." William Jr. said. "I have a plan."

* * *

Back in the forest sector, the rest of the gang was continuing to wait for Dennis's orders to proceed.

"Anything yet?" Sam asked. "It's been five minutes."

"No signal yet." Dennis said. "I don't know if…wait a minute."

Dennis and Antea Hopper saw a status screen pop up. Below it read 'Now connecting to AnteaHopper01.'

"What's this?" Dennis asked.

"Calvin's found a way to access my supercomputer." Antea said. "Once it's connected, I can transfer the anti-virus program I need for ANAX."

"Perfect." Dennis said. "Guys, I think Calvin will be fixing things momentarily. You may proceed with caution."

"Roger that." Antea said as she and the rest proceeded by foot to the nearby tower.

As they made their way, they saw a blast of acid make their way towards the ground in front of them. They then looked up to see a horde of monsters heading their way towards them. On top of the black Tarantula at the front stood XANA with ANAX behind him.

"Well." XANA said. "If it isn't my old adversaries, and my older adversaries. It appears we meet again, but this time I have the advantage, especially after walking into my trap."

"We didn't walk into it." Yumi said. "We just wanted to bring you out of hiding."

"Such an unwise move." XANA said. "Surely you realize we outnumber you 100 to eight."

"I like those odds." Ulrich said.

"Now, where's the little boy who's been causing all the trouble?"

"Right here, Master." William Jr. said dragging Calvin with him and throwing him on the ground.

"Calvin, what happened?" Rumiko asked.

"He…was too pow…erful." Calvin said pretending to be hurt.

"I found him sneaking around in Carthage." William Jr. said. "He was trying to hack into your database and jeopardize our plans."

"Good job, William." XANA said. "You and Russell will serve as fine subordinates when I destroy all of humanity."

"I couldn't agre…Now Calvin!" Calvin then got up grabbed his staff and threw it at the black Tarantula, destroying it. William Jr. then summoned his blades and slashed XANA across the chest.

"Kill them all!" XANA said drawing his sword. ANAX and the rest of the monsters then charged forward. The Lyoko Warriors just drew their weapons and followed suit.

"Super Sprint!" Ulrich shouted as he dashed up to the horde with lightning fast speed. Everyone else just scattered in different directions trying to get to the monsters without getting hurt too bad.

Calvin swung his staff a few times and took out a few Bloks, however a Kankrelat hit him in the shoulder and he fell to the ground.

"Laser Arrow!" Sam shouted as the Kankrelat was destroyed.

"Careful, Calvin, you lost ten life points." Dennis said. "Antea, have you gotten the anti-virus yet?"

"Almost there…" Antea Hopper said.

Calvin then got up and saw himself face to face with a Megatank. As the Megatank opened up and charged its laser, William Jr. showed up and threw his blade right in the eye, destroying it.

"Stay with me, Calvin." He said. "I know these monsters more than anyone else."

Calvin nodded as he stood behind William Jr., fighting off the monsters behind him.

Rumiko, using her invisibility, was making her away across the front lines killing monster after monster. She was making progress until she paused for a moment.

"Careful, Rumiko." Dennis said. "Remember that invisibility takes away some of your life points."

"Don't worry, I got it all under…" Rumiko said before she was devirtualized by a Tarantula. She then came out from one of the scanners and made her way to the lab.

"How much farther?" Dennis asked.

"Just about…now." Antea said. The computer then gave a noise signaling that the anti-virus transfer was a success.

"What now?" Dennis asked.

"Guys." Antea said to the Lyoko Warriors. "I managed to get the anti-virus. You need to separate ANAX while I imbue the program to one of your weapons. After that, place your weapons inside of ANAX and keep them there until I give the signal."

"Well, who's going to volunteer to stay out while the rest holds them off?" Ami asked.

"I'll do it." William Jr. said.

"What?" Antea asked.

"Willy, you don't have to do this." Calvin said.

"But I should." He said. "After all, this was my mess."

"I understand, but…"

"Calvin." Ami said. "If he wants to do it, then let him."

"I've done so much wrong to you all." William Jr. said. "I just want to do one thing right."

"Alright." Calvin said. "Antea, boot it up."

Antea then typed up the program and soon after, a faint purple smoke surrounded William Jr.'s blades. He then went up to the battlefield.

"Hey, ANAX!" He called. "Over here!"

ANAX then ran over to William Jr. with XANA and his monsters right behind him. Aelita then knelt on the ground and sung a harmonious note, enveloping XANA inside a rock dome and building a wall keeping out the rest of the monsters.

"We'd better hurry." Aelita said. "I don't know how much longer this wall can last."

William Jr. then rammed his blades inside of ANAX as the anti-virus program made his way inside of him. XANA, meanwhile, was trying to break his way out of his prison as the monsters blasted away as the wall, weakening it.

"Willy, you might want to hurry up there." Calvin said.

"I'm trying." William Jr. said.

XANA slashed away more and more of the rock as the rest of the warriors tried to keep him at bay.

"Willy, get out of there now!" Dennis said.

"Not yet!" William Jr. said. "How much longer?"

"50% and rising." Antea Hopper said.

More and more of the wall crumbled and more of XANA's prison broke away.

"60%...70%...80%...85%..." Antea said.

Just then, XANA unleashed a large shockwave, shattering the dome and the remainder of the wall.

"95%..."

XANA knocked back the warriors in one swipe of his sword as he made his way to William Jr.

"97%…"

XANA drew his sword.

"99%..."

"Energy Field." Aelita said shooting an energy field at XANA, which missed.

"100%" Antea Hopper said. "Virus removal complete."

William Jr. then took out his blades and turned around. Before he could react, XANA plunged the sword into his chest. William Jr. screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.

"NOOO!" Yumi shouted upon seeing this.

XANA then pulled out the sword and saw himself face to face with the cured ANAX. Accepting his fate, XANA just closed his eyes and allowed ANAX to throw his sword at him, sending XANA falling into the Digital Sea below. They then saw the tower deactivate and the monsters fade away.

* * *

Back on Earth, Peters looked around to see where he was. He was in the airport, but he didn't remember how he got there.

'Ah well.' He thought to himself as he turned back and exited the airport.

The warriors then got up and looked around. Calvin then saw William Jr.'s dying body and ran up to him.

"Willy." Calvin said. "I should've made the sacrifice."

"No, Calvin." William Jr. said. "This is all my doing. I deserve it."

"Calvin, what's going on?" Dennis asked.

"Williy's dying." Calvin said. "He got stabbed by XANA."

"No." Dennis said. "Can we do something?"

"Can we?" Calvin asked ANAX.

"Unfortunately, the wound inflicted was too great." ANAX said. "Even I cannot heal him."

"Mom." William Jr. said calling Yumi towards him.

"Yes, Sweetie?" Yumi said on the verge of crying.

"I'm sorry for everything." He said. "About everything I caused. I don't know how you can forgive me, especially what I've done to you."

"It wasn't your fault." Yumi said. "XANA's influence just got the best of you. You tried to fight it; I could sense it when you tried to kill me. Deep down, I could still see my frightened, grief-stricken baby boy. I forgive you."

"Thank you." William Jr. said weakly. "Calvin."

"Yes, Willy?"

"You'll always be the strongest warrior in my book." He said. "The strongest and the smartest; for that I'm proud to call you my brother."

"Thanks." Calvin said.

"Dennis." William Jr. then said. "You may be a twerp, but you're still my baby brother. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm proud of you, Dennis. You've done so much with your life."

Dennis just nodded as tears rolled down his face.

"I love you all so much." He said. "Goodbye. And thanks, Calvin, for still believing in me." William Jr. then took his last breaths and finally went limp. William Dunbar Jr. was now dead.

Yumi just cried as Ulrich held her close. On Earth, Dennis was also crying as Rumiko wrapped his arms around him, also shedding tears.

"The last thing I said to him was 'I hope you rot.'" William said crying. He then went over and picked up his son's lifeless body.

"I love you, son." He said crying in his chest. "I'm sorry for everything I said, I never meant a word of it. I'm so sorry."

Those who weren't crying only bowed their heads in silence. Nothing was said, only silent mourning. His funeral was held a few minutes later on his final resting place: The forest sector. His body was floating on a cloud made by ANAX; the cloud then drifted over the Digital Sea. Yumi could only cry as William held her close as ANAX made the cloud disappear, causing the body to plummet into the Digital Sea, where he was eternally deleted.

The rest of the gang was then virtualized back onto Earth and they made their way to the lab. There they saw Dennis being held in Rumiko's arms, still crying. William was the first to walk up to him and hug him.

"I'm sorry, Kiddo." He whispered. The rest could only join in and become part of the big group hug.

* * *

A few minutes later, the entire gang went down to the supercomputer room and stared at the immense structure.

"Care to do the honors, Calvin?" Ulrich asked.

"Might as well." Calvin said. "Someone's gotta do it." Calvin then walked up to the supercomputer and pulled the lever, shutting it down and closing the book on their adventures.

"I'm going to miss it." Calvin said. "Fighting on Lyoko, the action, the thrills, the memories we had."

"I'm with you on that." Sam said.

"I know, Calvin." Yumi said.

"We had that feeling when we first defeated XANA." Ulrich said. "No matter what happens though, you'll still have your friends and those memories will last a lifetime."

"We're gonna go home now." Aelita said. "Mother, would you like to stay with us?"

"Absolutely." Antea Hopper said.

"Calvin." Antea said. "I just want you to know I'm sorry for everything that I've done and…" Calvin just planted a kiss on her lips.

"I forgive you." Calvin said.

"I guess we'll be heading out too." Yumi said.

"See you, Calvin." Ulrich said. They then took the elevator up and went back to their respective places, be it the school or their homes. They talked to the police by the factory and informed them that William Jr. died by hitting his head and falling into one of the underground streams and drowned. They bought it and returned to the station.

Hours later, Calvin and Sam were already getting ready for bed. Sam was already in his underwear and under the blankets, while Calvin was in his night clothing, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

"You're really going to miss it, aren't you?" Sam asked.

"I was never good at adapting to sudden change. I really liked the routine of having to fight XANA and having these adventures. It made me feel like I was something amazing." Calvin said. "Despite this, I feel a great weight has been lifted off my back. No more virus. No more danger. No more constant worrying about the safety of the world and my friends."

Calvin then paused for a moment. Out of nowhere, he burst into joyous laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked. "You know we just lost somebody, right?"

"I'm sorry." Calvin said. "It's just that I can't remember the last time I've felt this happy. I no longer feel frightened or insecure; oh God, it's such a relief."

Calvin just continued laughing as Sam just watched him and smiled. A while later, they both fell asleep. They were both eager for their first day of being back in their normal lives.

* * *

Okay guys, just to let you know, this is NOT the last chapter. After this one will come a short epilogue that will serve as a much better closure than this one. I should also add that after this story, I'm going on a bit of a hiatus until the end of the school year. There will be a Scipio III, but I'm actually going to be putting more effort into this one and I need my brain to take a break from writing and get back to the last trimester of my senior year of high school. I'll still update 100 Days at least once a month (I already have a good one for Autism Awareness Month), but other than that, don't expect much from me after this story is done until this summer.

Warm Regards

-Tsunamix

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Please Review


	54. Epilogue

A week had passed since Lyoko was shut off. School had just got out and Dennis was walking across the school looking for Calvin. He reached one of the courtyards and there he saw Calvin and Rumiko duking it out at Pencak Silat. Dennis was surprised to see that Calvin was doing a lot better since the first fight he saw against Rumiko. Calvin ducked from one of Rumiko's punches and Calvin tried to sweep her legs, but Calvin missed and Rumiko landed a kick on Calvin's side, knocking him down.

"Nice job, Calvin." Dennis said.

"Thanks." Calvin said. "Even though I still have yet to beat her."

"You knocked me down once." Rumiko said. "You have to admit, that's a great sign of improvement."

"You're right." Calvin said. Rumiko then extended her hand as she helped Calvin up.

"You know something?" Dennis asked. "You seem a lot happier ever since we shut down the supercomputer."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Calvin said.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you that we have a surprise for you in the gymnasium." Dennis said. "You coming?"

"Of course." Calvin said.

* * *

The three then made their way across the school grounds. They then got to the gymnasium as Dennis held the door open.

"After you, Calvin." Dennis said.

"Thanks." Calvin said walking inside the dark building.

"No problem, birthday boy."

"What?" Calvin asked. Just then, the lights went on.

"Surprise!" Calvin's friends and family shouted. "Happy Birthday Calvin!"

Calvin was literally taken back. Through everything he had been through, he had completely forgotten that today was his 16th birthday.

"Another surprise party?" Calvin asked.

"I know we did the same thing last year." Dennis said. "But we thought you deserved it."

"I…I don't know what to say." Calvin said.

"Why not start with 'thank you'?" Yumi asked.

"Right." Calvin said. "Thank you. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Well, don't just stand there." Sam said. "Open your first present and grab some cake."

"Don't mind if I do." Calvin said.

"Open mine first." Sam said. Calvin then grabbed the one with Sam's name on it. Inside was a box with tickets.

"You got me tickets to Fighting Gravity?" Calvin practically shouted.

"I knew how much you and Antea liked performance art, so Sammy and I put our money together and got you both two front-row tickets."

"Awesome!" Calvin and Antea shouted.

"Sammy helped pay for this?" Ami asked.

"Yeah, kinda weird." Sam said.

"Me next." Sven-Søren said. Calvin then opened up a larger box and pulled out large, metal katana.

"Wow, this is awesome." Calvin said.

"I'm glad you like it. It even comes with a display stand so you can hang it up with ease."

"Thank you so much." Calvin said. Just then, Mr. Xavier walked into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone." He said. "I misplaced Calvin's present and it took me a while to find it."

"Better late than never." Dennis said.

"Calvin, this here is for you." Mr. Xavier said handing him a heavy, square present. Calvin opened it to find a large book.

"It's a book on ancient world history." Calvin said.

"Dennis told me ancient history was one of your weak areas, primarily the Punic Wars." Mr. Xavier said. "So he suggested this book to me to give to you and I managed to find it at the museum."

"Museum, that reminds me." Calvin said. He reached into the crawlspace below the gymnasium and pulled out a large box. He then gave it to Sam.

"What's this?" Sam asked.

"I was going to wait until your birthday, but I felt like since we're already here, I might as well." Calvin said.

Sam the opened the box and his eyes widened when he saw that inside was the thing he wanted most: Charles de Gaulle's hat.

"Yes, Sam. I got you the damn hat." Calvin said.

"Ohthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Sam shouted as he bounced up and down while hugging Calvin.

"Just promise me you won't do that again." Calvin said. "Anyways, thanks for the gift, Mr. Xavier."

"You're quite welcome."

"Here, Calvin." William said handing his present. "This one's from Dennis and me."

Calvin opened the box and found a glass case with a gold and silver chess board inside, with gold and silver chess pieces off to the side in separate containers.

"Wow." Calvin said.

"It belonged to Willy." William said. "He won it at a chess tournament years ago."

"We thought you should have it." Dennis said. "We know how much you like chess, not to mention that Willy would've wanted you to have it."

"Well, thanks." Calvin said. "I shall take good care of it."

"I miss him." Dennis said. "Even though he was a jerk at times, he at least got better as he got older, unlike Russell."

"He's in a better place now." Antea said. "If he's looking down at you right now, he wouldn't want you to dwell on it any longer. He would want you to keep your chin up and worry only about the present."

"You're right, Antea." Dennis said. He then turned to her grandmother. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask. Whatever became of that virus?"

"When we defeated XANA, I managed to contact David Peters and tell him about the virus." Antea Hopper said. "We managed to take it and properly dispose of it. Fortunately, the virus was inactive when we defeated XANA, so there's no chance of it harming anyone anymore."

"That's good." Calvin said.

"I guess it's time for my gift." Antea said handing him his gift. Calvin opened it up to find a scrapbook. Inside he saw all the pictures of him and Antea during their dates.

"I want you to keep this to remind you that I would never, ever do anything to hurt you." Antea said.

"I know." Calvin said. "Also, even though I know you've forgiven me, I never got a chance to actually say it. I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry for everything that I've ever done. I'm especially sorry to you, Antea. It was wrong of me to express my anger the way I did back at the club."

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that I forgive you." Antea said. The other just nodded in assent.

"I'm just glad I can finally put this behind me." Calvin said.

"I agree, Calvin." Antea said.

"I guess that just leaves our gift." Ulrich said. "Come outside."

* * *

Calvin and the rest walked outside as they were led to the front parking lot.

"So what am I supposed to be looking for?" Calvin asked.

"See the white roadster at the very end?" Rumiko asked.

"Yes." Calvin said.

"Check in the glove compartment." Ami said.

"Um, okay." Calvin said walking to the car opening the glove compartment. "I'm really not keen on the idea of my gift being in some stranger's car, but I guess…Oh…"

Calvin looked inside and found only a key taped to a card. Calvin then read the card out loud:

"Happy Birthday, Calvin. May our gift take you where you need and even further. Love Mom, Dad, Ami and Rumiko."

Calvin just turned and faced them.

"This is mine?" Calvin asked.

"Holy shit." Dennis said. "They gave you a car?"

"You lucky dog." Sam said.

"I didn't know you could drive." Antea said.

"I took drivers ed over the summer and ended up getting my license some time after we turned William Jr. in." Calvin said. "Of course, I wasn't expecting this."

"Anything for you, Calvin." Yumi said. "So do you like it?"

"I love it." Calvin said.

"Of course you still won't be able to drive unrestricted until you're 18." Ulrich said (A/N: If I'm wrong about the driving laws, just assume that they changed throughout the decades).

"I understand." Calvin said.

"Hey Calvin." Antea said. "You wanna go out and celebrate?"

"Just the two of us?" Calvin asked. Antea nodded.

"I don't see why not." Calvin said. "Can we, Dad?"

"Oh okay." Ulrich said.

"Just bring my daughter back safely." Aelita joked.

"Mom." Antea said blushing. Calvin then hopped in the car and started it up.

"Hold on, Cal." Ulrich said getting in. "Remember, I still need to accompany you."

"Right." Calvin said. Antea then took the spot in the middle. After everyone was strapped in, Calvin, ungracefully yet safely, backed out of the lot and made his way to the road.

"You have fun, Calvin." Yumi said.

"Of course." Calvin said putting on a pair of sunglasses. "When was the last time this year I had any real fun? Might as well start now."

Calvin then drove off away from the school and towards the city. As the wind blew across his face while the sun was shining bright on him, he could only smile and enjoy the day as it were his last. After all, he had no reason to not be happy. Even if he did, he knew to put it behind him and worry about the present and nothing more. But right now, he could only be happy: He had more friends than he ever thought he could have, he had a faithful girlfriend, he became one of the most well known students in both athletics and academics and with the help of his friends and family, he was able to conquer his negative feelings and defeat XANA for the second and last time and saved all of humanity.

Most importantly, he had ultimately won the race for control that XANA and William Jr. had put him through. He knew now that he could do anything.

The End.

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